Officially Titled: Untitled Three, Here We Stand
by Kira the Great
Summary: Three longlost triplets from a destroyed village meet during the annual Chuunin Exams. Circumstances arise, one of them goes missing and the others must find her while attempting to escape a murderer from their past.
1. Part One: Hidden Rock Trio

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **If the scene jumps from one to another (especially in Parts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14, and 20) this is because is not showing my page breaks. I will work on figuring this out, so please bear with me!! Thank you!

Also, I tried to stay as true to the anime as possible (as I have yet to read the manga TT), and I tried to omit the major Japanese language (I got feedback a while back saying it's hard to keep up for American/English readers to have "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" all the time, so I just put it in English), but I kept the more traditional aspects (ex: Konoha instead of Hidden Leaf Village (in some cases), Uzumaki Naruto instead of Naruto Uzumaki, and so on). Please feel free to leave me feedback. Thanks!

Part One: Hidden Rock Trio

_Shink, shink, shink!_

"Damn it!"

_Shink!_

"Stop moving!"

_Shink, shink, shink!_

"I can't help it, you're bad at aiming."

_Shink, shink, shink!_

"Damn it, Neji! Stop _moving_!"

"He already said you couldn't aim!" shouted Sakura.

"Whatever happened to teamwork?!" Naruto replied, throwing more kunai at Neji, and missing again.

"Are you three done yet?" asked Kankurou.

Sakura, who had been sitting near Gaara and Kankurou, looked over at them. "They wanted to train…"

"Well, they aren't getting very far," replied Kankurou. "Naruto keeps missing, and Neji's just being an ass, as usual."

Neji landed across the clearing from them, his eyes narrowed.

"Hey, whatever happened to Temari?" asked Sakura, trying to change the subject.

Kankurou shrugged. "Went home…"

Gaara glanced into the forest, all eyes following his.

"What is it, Gaara?" asked Kankurou.

"Someone's coming."

"Who?" Naruto asked.

Gaara shrugged.

Suddenly three ninja dropped from the trees. They looked around, their eyes settling on the group of five.

"Hey, look! People!"

"Shut up, idiot!"

The third didn't say anything, but merely followed the other two over to the group of five, remaining distant at the same time.

"Hey, we must be lost or something; can you guys tell us where the Hidden Leaf Village is?" one of the boys asked.

The other crossed his arms and muttered, "Didn't you ever think that they might try to kill us?"

"Never even crossed my mind, dim-nut," replied the other sarcastically.

"Why're you looking for Konoha?" asked Naruto.

"We're on our way there for the exams."

"What exams?" questioned Sakura.

The two boys, now obviously twins, glanced at each other. "Umm…the Chuunin exams…"

"Yeah, they come twice a year—didn't you know?"

"Who are you guys?" Neji asked.

"I'm Yakara Oriki," said one, flashing a huge grin.

"Yakara Ariki," replied the other, crossing his arms over his chest. "And you guys would be?"

Gaara glanced back at the girl and said calmly, "It's rude to ask names before giving your own."

She glanced at him. "I never asked."

Ariki laughed softly and said, "This is Takura Tara. She's with us—our third."

"C'mon, now tell us your names," said Oriki with a grin. "Fair's fair, after all."

"Uzumaki Naruto!" shouted the blonde. "Remember that name, because I kicked ass at last year's exams!" He grinned.

"Shut up," replied Ariki. He glanced over at Neji. "We already know only one person passed, and it sure as hell wasn't you. You're the Hyuuga, aren't you?"

Neji frowned, but nodded once.

"Haruno Sakura," Sakura introduced herself before the twin could guess her name.

"And you? You're…?" Oriki asked, turning his eyes onto the last two.

"Kankurou."

"No last name?"

"None that you need to know."

"We don't even need to ask you," said Ariki looking at Gaara. "You're Gaara of the Desert. No doubt about that—the Sand Village murderer who went soft." He sniggered.

Gaara narrowed his eyes.

"Well, you know all of us," said Sakura, looking at the foreign bands around their arms, and in the girl's case, around the belt on her hip. "Where are you from? You must have traveled far—I don't recognize your headbands."

Ariki and Oriki grinned. "We're from the Hidden Rock Village."


	2. Part Two: Wish for Death

Part Two: Wish for Death

"The Hidden Rock Village?!" Sakura gasped.

They nodded.

"No one's ever come for a Chuunin exam before," she said. "Why…why now?"

They shrugged.

"What about you—well, the three of you, at any rate. Where—?"

"Don't be blind, Oriki, they're from the very village we're looking for, isn't that right, Tara?"

She looked at them.

"You can see it, can't you?"

She nodded.

"Then, well, are they?"

She shrugged.

"She doesn't talk much," Kankurou noticed.

"She doesn't like to bother with it," replied Ariki. "She'd rather mock us all silently."

"You won't be participating this year, then, will you?" asked Oriki, looking slightly disappointed. "Well, either way, you should come and watch. We'll wipe the stadium with anyone who opposes us."

Ariki rolled his eyes. "Come on, brother."

"Why?"

"We have to prepare."

"Why?"

"We just do."

"Why?"

"Shut up."

"Why?"

"ORIKI!"

The other twin cackled and jumped into the trees, Ariki following, shuriken and kunai shooting at Oriki.

Tara didn't move. She was watching the others, as if willing them to continue what they had been doing. When they didn't, she finally turned and walked into the forest.

"That was weird," Sakura said.

"That was more than _weird_," said Naruto. "Talk about creepy…eesh…"

"Those twins said she could see our headbands, but we were too far away for them to get a clear view," Neji said. He glanced at Sakura, knowing the only reason she had seen their headbands was because of the twins' closer range and her sharp eyes, but the girl had been too far back to see any of their bands clearly. How was it that they suggested this?

"Think we should follow them?" asked Kankurou.

Gaara nodded.

"Then let's go," he replied, and the two of them disappeared into the trees.

"Wait! We're not being left out of this!" shouted Naruto.

"Just keep down and shut up!" replied Sakura.

Though the three of them _had_ participated in the Chuunin exams the previous year, the exams hadn't been quite as expected. In the middle of Gaara and Sasuke's bout, there had been an attack on the village led by Orochimaru. After that, Sasuke had hunted Gaara, Kankurou, and Temari down, fighting Gaara until Naruto showed up, defeating the sand ninja. After his defeat, Gaara had somehow changed…he wasn't much nicer, and was still deathly quiet, but it seemed that he no longer killed people for pleasure.

Since then, the group had become a bit tighter, except for Sasuke disappearing into Orochimaru's clutches, Neji nearly dieing, and Temari heading home to the Land of Winds.

Gaara and Kankurou had apparently changed, though it was hard to tell sometimes. They didn't mind hanging around the others, if not for laughs.

The group arrived a few moments later at a cliff-edge, overlooking the village below.

"Wow! We found it!"

"Which is why you should never stop and ask!" screamed the other twin.

The only reason the five of them had found the trio was because of Oriki and Ariki screaming at each other. Neji hadn't even needed to use his Byakugan.

Tara turned and looked at the trees where the group of five was hiding.

"What is it, Tara?" Oriki asked.

She lifted her fingers and said, "_Byakugan!_"

Her eyes changed, becoming empty, and veins erupted around their edges. She lowered her hands and said, "They followed us."

"Come out, come out, we know you're there!" shouted Oriki.

Ariki merely tossed kunai into the trees, the five genin appearing. "Well, well, look at what curious kitties we have here."

"How can you do that?!" Neji gasped, looking at Tara. "You're not a Hyuuga!"

"No, she's not," replied Ariki with a cocky grin. "She has…various abilities of her own, though."

"Care to elaborate?" asked Sakura.

"Feh, no."

Gaara crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes locking with the girls.

"You don't look like a killer," she said suddenly, and all eyes turned to her.

"I've killed plenty."

"You're not a killer," she replied.

Gaara lifted his hand, sand dropping from his gourd, shifting around and approaching her. It began to wrap around her feet, sliding up her body, but she didn't move.

She didn't look scared, either.

It was like she _wanted_ to die.

He waited until she was completely encased, save her face, before stating, "You will tell us what you're doing here. Sakura is correct—no one from the Rock Village has ever appeared at a Chuunin exam before. Why now?"

Ariki and Oriki just laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Naruto. "You think he's kidding?! Tell us who you are!"

Oriki slapped Ariki on the back, and the other leaned against his twin. "Oh, that's rich!" one chimed, and the other replied, "I can't wait to see the look on their faces!" and the other continued, "Kill her, then, if you want!"

"_Desert coffin!_"

"_Gaara!_" gasped Sakura. "Are you kidding?!"

Gaara tightened his hand into a fist, the sand crushing the girl.

When the sand pulled away, the girl still stood. Her body was bent out of shape, but otherwise, she looked fine.

She lifted her hand, watching as the bones rearranged themselves, straightening and fixing themselves.

"_That's_ new," she said, turning her arm around. "No one's ever tried crushing me before…"

Sakura's eyes were wide.

"What…what are you…?" whispered Kankurou.

She looked up at him, sickening cracks and crunches coming from her joints as her legs and back were reconstructed.

Ariki smirked. "It's a bloodline trait, indigenous to only our village."

"It's the Takura trait," said Oriki, mimicking his brother's grin. "They call it the Otiyaga."

"Like the Kaguya's?" asked Gaara. "How they can manipulate their bones?"

"No," sniggered Ariki. "Those freaks? Hell no! Tara here can do more than survive the crushing weight of your Desert Coffin…she can—well, I guess you'll find out eventually."

Neji glanced at her. "What about the Byakugan? That's a Hyuuga trait."

She looked up at him, and as if she were remembering something tasty, she licked her lips.

"I suppose it won't do any harm to tell you, because there's no way to counter it," said Ariki after a second of thought. "Her trait, the Otiyaga…well, watch." He pulled three kunai from his pouch and tossed them at her lazily.

They hit, and she stepped forward from the force, but was otherwise unwounded. She lifted her arm, revealing where the kunai had landed.

They were being sucked into her skin.

"Oh my god!" gasped Sakura, her hand over her mouth.

"That's gross!" Naruto said, eyes wide.

She turned her arm after the kunai had been absorbed, and suddenly, they shot back out, into a tree.

"She can repel any attack," said Oriki, looking at the kunai, and then back to the others. "No matter what you send at her, her skin will eat it and shoot it back at you."

"That still doesn't explain the Byakugan," said Neji.

"When an opponent of Tara's dies, she can absorb their blood, like the kunai, and then she learns their jutsu's, along with any bloodline traits…"

"The catch," the other twin continued, "is that she has to have at least a pint of it, or else she doesn't learn the traits."

She looked back at the others. "For example…_Sharingan!_"

Her eyes turned red.

"No…"

She looked at Sakura, and Gaara watched as she absorbed the girl's sudden pain and shock from her eyes. He recognized that look in her eyes—the look that desired pain from others, but there was still behind it…the chilling demand to die.

"W-who did you…who did you kill?" No doubt Sakura was thinking of Sasuke, her hand clutching at her chest. Even if he had become more powerful…could this girl really have killed him?

She shrugged.

"She doesn't take the time to learn her enemy's names," said Oriki. "They all blend together eventually."

"So, you see," said Ariki, "it's a good thing you aren't participating this year."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to tell this to just anyone," laughed Oriki.

"And besides, even if you do tell anyone, it's not like they'll believe you. We're so unknown, and the trait is so rare, that telling anyone would result in nothing but embarrassment for you."

"Well, I suppose we can expect to see you five there," Oriki said, and he saluted, turning and jumping off of the cliff.

Ariki glanced back at Gaara. "Especially you, Gaara of the Desert; I'm sure you will find this most interesting." He followed his twin, and Tara, for a moment, merely stood, and then she backed up to the cliffs edge, and merely fell off.

Sakura ran over to the edge of the cliff, Naruto and the others in her wake. "She just…she just fell off!"

Tara's body was tumbling down the side of the mountain, and when she reached the bottom, she merely stood up and continued walking, her bones replacing themselves and her skin healing as if nothing had happened.

"I guess they're right about one thing," said Naruto slowly.

"What's that?" Kankurou.

"If she had been at the exam last year, would any of us have been able to defeat her?" Naruto asked, swallowing.

"I don't know," replied Sakura softly.

Gaara narrowed his eyes. That look in her eyes…the desire to die…it made no sense to him. No one _wished_ for death—at least, not unless they were desperate. Was this girl as desperate to die as she seemed to be?


	3. Part Three: Insomniac HitList

Part Three: Insomniac Hit-List

"Well, that explains how she could see our bandanas," muttered Neji as the five of them returned to the village for some rest. Night was falling quickly.

"This bloodline trait disturbs me," said Kankurou.

"Me, too," replied Naruto.

"I've never even heard of such a thing," said Sakura, shaking her head. "Isn't it weird? I mean, no one knows much about the Rock Village, but still…to not even know a bloodline trait as powerful as this?"

Gaara was walking behind the others, in deep thought. Yes, the trait was powerful, but was there _really_ no way around it? He didn't think so—there had to be someway to beat it…something…_hidden_…

"I think we should try and find out more," said Kankurou. "We can meet tomorrow and discuss our findings…after all, the written exams are tomorrow, aren't they?"

Sakura nodded. "If they make it passed those, then they really might be able to do it…"

"If it's anything like last years," said Neji, "then I doubt they will. I'm not sure about the extent of the girls' knowledge—especially since she has the…" he glanced away, "but the twins? They can't possibly pass."

Naruto put his hands behind his head and looked up at the painted sky. "Well, whatever. If you ask me, they're just gonna lose anyway."

"How do you think?" asked Sakura.

"The competition this year _has_ to be tougher than last years," he replied.

"I doubt it," said Neji. "All of the bloodline's in our village were of age last year, except myself. Remember, I could have gone the year before, but waited."

"We'll see," said Kankurou. "Gaara and I have to go, but we'll see what we can find."

The others nodded, and the five split up.

_Thunk._

_Thunk._

Gaara looked out the window of his room. He never slept, but to hear such a noise at this hour? It was most certainly odd.

_Thunk, thunk, thunk._

This time, the noise came faster.

Gaara slipped from the room and appeared outside, looking around.

There were six shuriken on the door into his apartment. He looked at each one carefully, and noted that there were names inscribed on each one.

_Hyuuga Neji._

_Uzumaki Naruto._

_Haruno Sakura._

_Kankurou._

_Gaara no Sobaku._

Gaara pulled them from the door, one at a time. He examined them, but, just as he turned to go back inside, another shuriken shot at him, hitting the door.

He turned and looked at it, the name glittering under the light of the moon.

This one was crossed out.

_Hyuuga Hinata._

Gaara narrowed his eyes, pulling the shuriken from the door. The name rang a bell…if only he could place it…

_Thunk._

_Temari._

This name was also crossed out.

Gaara whirled around, looking into the shadows. He watched as the girl appeared, her eyes blank and cold. The Byakugan.

She looked at Gaara, and Gaara looked at her.

"What do you want?" he asked calmly, ignoring the shuriken he held in his hands.

No reply.

"Are you trying to scare us with this?" he asked. "Because it won't work." He tossed the shuriken away, noting where they landed.

She looked at them silently, as if she had been hoping that Gaara would throw them back at her. But, of course not. He knew she would repel the attack, even if not willingly.

When she looked back, Gaara had closed the door on her.

Tara left.


	4. Part Four: The Chuunin Exams Begin!

Part Four: The Chuunin Exams Begin!

"Awe, man, you have to be _kidding_ me!" groaned Oriki as his twin, he, and Tara entered the room. "We have to take a _written_ exam? What kind of lame bullshit is that?"

"They want to weed out the morons like you," replied his twin. Ariki turned and looked back at Tara. "Hey, Takura, what do you think? Like last years, maybe? A cheating exam?"

She glanced over at the rows where they would be sitting.

"No? Yes? Come on, give us something, at least!" Oriki whined.

"I can't read minds," she snapped, and walked to the back of the room, where she sat.

Oriki rolled his eyes. "Gah, whatever with you! Ariki, we've got nothing to lose, right?"

"Only our entire village's honor, you dumbass."

"Dim-nut," retorted Oriki, as they sat down away from each other.

And they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And _waited._

"What the fuck is up with this?!" Ariki asked finally, after almost two hours had passed. He slammed his hands against the desk and stood up. "Where is everyone?!"

"You had us arrive early, dipshit," replied Oriki, looking at his watch. "The exam doesn't start for another half an hour."

"Then why'd they let us in?!" snarled the other twin.

"Because if you want to torture yourselves, then that's all the more luck for them," replied a figure from the doorway. His teammates appeared behind him.

"Who are you?" demanded Ariki.

"Akio Rena!" said one of the girls, standing proudly.

"Hyuuga Hinabi," said the other girl meekly, hiding behind Rena.

Ariki's face cracked into a grin, and his eyes shifted over to Tara. This was Hinata's younger sister, no doubt. She seemed a little too young to be taking part in the exams, but that most likely meant she had promising skills. Why Tara hadn't killed her instead was quite beyond Ariki.

"Aburame Chiro," he replied, his dark sunglasses flashing.

"Aburame," muttered Oriki. "The bug-tamers. I've heard of you."

Chiro looked at him curiously.

"Well, alright, I've heard of your _clan_. A very interesting talent his clan has, don't you think, Takura?" Oriki asked, looking at Tara.

She glanced at Chiro, but didn't reply.

"Names?"

"Yakara Oriki, and that's my dim-nut twin, Yakara Ariki," replied Oriki.

"You?" Chiro asked, looking to the back of the room.

"That's Takura Tara," replied Oriki as Ariki sat down in his seat.

"Village?"

"Rock."

Chiro's eyebrows raised slightly, but he nodded before taking his seat, Rena and Hinabi taking their own seats.

As the time passed, more people began to filter into the room, until it was completely filled.

A man walked in, and he grinned, his eyes surveying the room. "My name is Morino Ibiki, and I will be your proctor for this exam. As expected, it is a written exam, and as expected, there are some rules you'll need to follow," his eyes scanned the room. "There will be no questions, so listen to what I have to say."

"Are you sure, Shikamaru?" Sakura asked as she leaned over his back, reading the scroll he had in his hands.

"Yeah, there's nothing about that bloodline trait _anywhere_, I've looked," he shook his head. "It's probable that it's existed without being recorded, but…something that hard to penetrate _has_ to have a weak spot."

"You think Tara has a weak point, then?"

"I don't know," he replied. "From what you've described to me, it doesn't sound like it. In fact, if Gaara tried to crush her with his Desert Coffin, and it didn't work, then the only thing I can think of is to destroy her nerves, or maybe stab her in the forehead."

"Thanks, Shikamaru," Sakura said.

"The exams are starting," he replied. "I think you guys should keep a close eye on this Rock trio…it's been so long since anyone from that village has come here that no one knows anything about them."

She nodded and left the apartment.

"Are you sure Shikamaru said there was nothing on the Takura clan?" asked Neji as he and the others met in the back yard of the academy.

"He and I were up all last night looking," Sakura replied. "There was nothing there."

"Damn," said Kankurou. He looked over at Gaara. "Have they started yet, Gaara?"

Gaara nodded once, his eyes closed, his fingers in a steeple before him. His third eye was watching the examiners from the far back of the room, in a corner where there was less of a chance of it being seen.

"What're they doing?" asked Naruto.

"The twins…are communicating somehow," replied Gaara softly. "I think they share chakra, almost…like…they can see out of each other's eyes…"

"That doesn't help them much," replied Kankurou. "Not unless they're both geniuses."

Gaara's focus became more intense as he watched the occurrences in the building. "They're focusing their chakra…" a small smile appeared on his lips. "Well…that's clever…"

"What? What?!" asked Naruto. "What's clever?!"

"They made scope out of their chakra, and both twins can use it to look off of exams…but get this…it's virtually invisible," said Gaara.

"Wow, who knew the punks had such talent?" asked Kankurou mockingly. "What about the girl?"

Gaara remained silent before, "She's just sitting there. Not even answering any of the questions…"

"What the hell? Is she even freaking out about it?" asked Sakura.

Gaara shook his head.

"So we thought the twins would fail, when in fact, she very well might be the one to go," said Kankurou crossing his arms. "How quant."

"Wait…"

All eyes turned to Gaara.

"She's…"

"What's she doing?" asked Sakura.

Gaara's eyes were squeezed tight, as if he were afraid he might see something terrible. Suddenly, he relaxed.

"She…must have come into the exam with glass needles in her body."

"Why?"

"The boy in front and to her right just passed out on his desk. He's bleeding…badly, from his ankle," replied Gaara. "And she has her foot under him, catching the blood…"

"She's absorbing the information," gasped Sakura, her eyes going wide. "But…a pint of blood is a lot. Won't they catch her by then?"

Gaara only shrugged.

A few moments passed by before Gaara said, "She's writing now, I think she got enough of the blood."

Suddenly he tensed up, his eyes squeezing tight again.

She was looking at him, her eyes locked on the third eye Gaara had in the back of the room, the corner to her left. Tara knew it was him, he could feel it. She knew it was him, and she was going to hurt more people, like she had Temari, and Hinata, and all of those others she had killed.

His eyes snapped open and he clutched his chest.

"Gaara? Is everything alright?" Sakura asked, coming to sit beside him.

He nodded, slowly releasing the grip on his chest, forcing himself to relax.

Here, Neji frowned. "Why didn't she just use the Sharingan, or the Byakugan? I used mine during the exam, and I think Sasuke and Hinata did, too. Why go to the trouble of killing someone?"

"To see if she could get away with it," replied Gaara softly, his hands clenched into fists. "She doesn't care about these exams, just like I didn't. But unlike me, there's no demon, and no mission involved. She's just here to represent her village and her clan…and to kill as many people as she can…that's all."

The others exchanged glances.

"Well, that sounds promising," said Kankurou sarcastically. "Now what?"

"We wait," replied Neji as Gaara stood up. "There's not much else we can do—not until the open final matches, at least."

"If we tell anyone, the trio will just deny it," Sakura said.

"If we stab her, then they'll know," retorted Naruto.

Neji shook his head. "There's no guarantee that we can even get close enough…"

The five of them left the courtyard, their minds on everything and nothing at the same time.


	5. Part Five: Bloodlust 202

Part Five: Bloodlust 202

"Alright, here's the last question," the proctor said, smashing the chalk against the blackboard.

Ariki looked bored and zoned out. He could care less what the last question was. He had finished all of the others without any trouble. If this guy wanted to take a point or two off for him not answering the final question, he could care less.

Oriki was in a similar fashion, looking out the window and daydreaming as the rest of the room was tense with anticipation. He could hear the proctor talking in the background, but it was all so muffled…what did it matter, anyways? None of them would be remembered in a hundred years, after their bodies had turned to dust…

So what was the point?

Oriki turned back to the front of the room, pretending to pay attention, but really, he wasn't. He had expected a tenth question, much like the previous years. But, hey, what did it matter? Cheating on the exam had been no sweat.

He glanced back at Tara, and noticed that she was just staring ahead. A boy a desk up was slumped over, asleep.

Oriki caught himself.

No, the boy wasn't sleeping. He was dead.

She had extracted information via blood rather than using her acquired Byakugan or Sharingan.

He sighed.

Nearly half of the examinees had been taken out, due to sloppy cheating.

And, as he watched, one by one, ninja stood, unable to handle the pressure of knowing the answer to the tenth question. They and their parties were removed from the room, and Oriki was thankful.

But, there, he saw her—Hinabi Hyuuga, the sister of the now deceased Hinata Hyuuga. Of course, most people didn't _know_ she was dead. Tara might have killed her, but the girl wasn't stupid. She had replaced the dead Hinata with a rock-clone.

No one could even tell the difference—Tara had been following Hinata for months now. The fact that she knew where the village was didn't disturb the twins. In fact, they'd rather just as well stay out of it. That was why they had stopped to ask for directions, because they hadn't actually _known_ that Tara knew where the village was. She never talked, unless it was to mock or get to some point.

At any rate, the rock-clone she had used to pose as Hinata was probably nothing more than ruble by now. She liked to drag on the pain and then make it sudden. The Hyuuga family would first think that Hinata had been fine, and then they would find her in her room, nothing but a rock-clone given way to time.

"—Well, I suppose this is it," said the proctor looking around the room. There were at least thirty people still in the room. A good amount less than last time, but still not bad at all.

The proctor's eyes shifted over around the room, and he checked his watch. She was late. Usually she was early, but this time, she was _late_.

Finally, she blew in through the window, as she did every year.

_This girl's a piece_, thought Ariki, his eyes shifting over to her. _I guess this is the second proctor…what a weirdo._

"My name is Mitarashi Anko," she said dramatically, lifting herself to the kids in the room, "and I will be your proctor for the second exam!"

"Ughhh," groaned Oriki. "Another exam?"

"What, you thought it was just one?" she asked, turning to him.

He shrugged. "How many exams _are_ there?"

"Three," she replied with a smirk. "And I wouldn't be surprised if you fail this next one!"

Oriki ignored her, zoning out as she gave out instructions. He would get them later.

As the students began to leave the room, the teammates of the boy approached him, shaking him softly.

"Akira…Akira, wake up…the exam's over," yawned one of the guys on his team. He had obviously fallen asleep, too.

Tara stood and left the room slowly, waiting…

"Akira?"

Step.

"Akira!"

Step.

"_AKIRA!_"

"AIIIEEEEEE!"

"He's dead, oh my god, he's _dead_! Someone killed him!"

She smirked, letting the door close behind her.

Oriki and Ariki were waiting for her in the hallway.

"You just couldn't wait, could you?" Ariki asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

She glanced at him, but only shrugged, and continued walking.

"Man, why is it we had to be the ones to get stuck with her?" asked Oriki, wiping his glasses on his shirt as they walked.

"I dunno…hey, did you hear where we're supposed to meet tomorrow?"

"Nope, wasn't paying attention."

"Good, me neither."

"I figure it'll come to me tonight," he replied with a shrug. "Anyways, since that kid's dead, that means we're down to twenty-four now, right?"

Ariki nodded. "I can't believe she got away with it…again."

"I dunno, bro, but I really don't think she means to kill them," replied Oriki.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No."

"How d'you figure?"

"I just know her, that's all."

"So do I."

"Then you know she's not heartless."

"She _wanted_ them to catch her, then?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Great…"

"Hopefully she doesn't commit suicide again," laughed Oriki.

"If you ask me, two-hundred and one times should be enough to get it through her skull, don't you think?"

"Well, she's a bit thick-headed," he replied.

"Nothing like that Gaara kid."

"Not as scary."

"He meant to kill her."

"But she lived."

"She always lives."

"It's what she does best."

The two of them followed Tara back to their temporary housing. They left her to herself, as they usually did, and headed for their own beds.

It was late, already, and even if they weren't tired, they needed to make certain their chakra was at full-strength for the next exam. All they knew was that they were meeting their new proctor at the exam entrance. Other than that—nothing.

It was nearly two in the morning, and Gaara was wandering the village as he tended to after hours at times. He paused, noticing a light on in one of the apartments.

Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but hearing glass breaking gave him all the reason he needed.

He launched into the air, jumping the first few floors and landing before the window.

It was Tara.

She was doubled over, her arm across her stomach, her other hand thrusting shuriken and kunai into her body in various places. She grabbed a piece of the broken mirror—the shattering sound Gaara had heard—and thrust that into her eye.

He backed away, eyes wide.

What the hell was she _thinking_?!

She cried out, doubling further onto the floor, the kunai and pieces of glass shooting out of her body, shattering the window.

Gaara watched as she slowly got to her feet, her hands searching for some remains of the broken glass.

Before he could stop himself, sand burst into the room, thrusting her against the door and away from the sharp objects.

"What the fuck?!"

Gaara slipped into the room and looked from the broken glass, shuriken, and kunai, to her. "What are you doing?"

"Let me go!"

He glowered at her. "Are you insane, trying to kill yourself?"

She looked at him, her eyes going wide. She glanced away. "So what if I am? Not like anyone gives a damn."

"You can't die that way," Gaara said slowly. "Besides, why are you awake? You should be resting—tomorrow's when the physical exams begin."

She glowered at him. "I don't like sleeping."

"Insomnia?"

"No," she said. "_You_ have insomnia. _I _do not."

"Then why don't you sleep?"

"I already told you, I don't like to," she replied bitterly. "Now let me down."

"So you can keep abusing your body? I don't think so."

"I'm _training_!" she snapped.

"You just admitted that you were trying to kill yourself."

"Is there a difference?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Fine, whatever, just let me go."

He approached her, looking her in the eyes. "Not until you answer my questions."

"What're gonna do? Kill me?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"Just answer my questions," he replied.

She glowered at him.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Fine, wanna know the truth? Want me to go all emo on you and shit?"

"Emo?"

"I don't sleep because if I keep myself from rest, I'm bound to die from exhaustion sooner or later," she snapped. "Not all means of death are physical, anyways."

He nodded. "Why do you want to die so badly?"

"That's _my_ business," she replied.

"Most people who want to die are running away from something, or have nothing to lose. What about you? What are you running from?"

She looked him in the eyes and said, "I'm not running from anything."

"Then why do you want to die?"

"Let me go, before I start to absorb your sand," she muttered.

"You can do that?"

"I don't know—no one's ever tried to crush me before…or hold me down, for that matter."

"If I let you down, will you tell me what it is you're running from?"

"I already told you, I'm not running from anything."

"Then will you tell me why you want to die?" he asked, his mind racing back to all of the people he had killed before, remembering them, face by face, voice by voice. A great feeling of sadness enveloped him and he whispered softly, "A life is not worth taking, especially your own."

"So it's true," she said. "The killer Gaara _has_ become soft. If you guys had used our strategies, your village might have managed the take-over of this village."

"Is that why you're here?"

"I'm here to take these stupid exams."

Gaara gently lowered her back to the floor of the room, his eyes following her every movement. "Will you kill me?"

"No."

"You killed that boy in the exams today. What makes me any different?"

"I need you…"

"What?" he was truly shocked.

"I need you to kill me."

"I can't."

"You can," she said. "You have to promise me that you will, too."

"Why?"

"I'll have to kill everyone you care about until you kill me."

"You can't die."

"I have to."

"Why?"

"Just kill me!" she said. "Please, just kill me!"

"I can't—not without knowing why."

"You know what pain is," she said. "You know what true pain is—loneliness, but I'm…I'm not lonely."

"So, what is it then?"

She lifted her hands and looked down at them. "Every breath I take…every move I make…it's like being ripped apart a thousand times over…yes, this trait is amazing—the perfect cure to mortality…but…it's a living hell. I'm caged by my own powers, driven for a lust of blood that I cannot control." She looked back up at him, her brown eyes longing for the death that she could not have. "Kill me, Gaara of the Desert, please…for my sake, and for the sake of all those around you."

"How can I kill you?"

She grabbed a kunai and lifted it to her chest. "When I stab myself, there's a hole leading to my coronary artery. It only lasts a few seconds, so you have to be quick. If you send sand into my blood veins, and then use your Desert Burial, I…I can die…"

"Your bones will just go back to normal."

"Maybe my muscles won't…and my nerves…maybe it's for the best that you just kill me…please…"

"No."

She stumbled over to him, grabbing him by the shoulders, his sand attempting to come to his defense. She shook him and said, "Please, Gaara, please…_kill me_!"

He pushed her hands aside and replied calmly, "I can't kill you if you won't die."

She lowered her head and muttered softly, "Fine, then. I'll find some other way."

She shoved him out the window, his sand following him onto the landing.

Gaara watched as the lights in the room went out and Tara left. He stood up and dusted himself off, waiting to see if she would come back. When she didn't, he jumped onto the roof to think.


	6. Part Six: Of Sand and Snow

Part Six: Of Sand and Snow

"So this is Konoha!" said the guy, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Good thing we made it in time for the exam," replied the other. He looked at the third in the group. "Don't you think so, Yassa?"

The third boy just lifted and lowered a shoulder.

"That first exam was way too easy," said the first boy, whose name happened to be Makiro Raga. "Way too easy."

"You'd think that they might actually give us a decent exam, don't you?" asked the other, Jirino Daraka.

"Yeah, they might," said Raga. "Anyways, what d'you think, Yassa?"

Again, he just lifted and lowered a shoulder.

"Well, where's everyone else?" asked Daraka. "I mean, come on…you'd think that with the second exam starting today, people might actually _show up_."

"You guys are too cocky for your own good."

The three turned and looked over to see another group of three. They were watching the others carefully.

"Names?" demanded Daraka.

"Why?"

"So I can call them out while I'm kicking your asses."

The boy who had been speaking sighed and said, "If you must know, I'm Riki, this is Talani, and Arcin."

"What kind of name is Arcin?" sneered Daraka.

"Shut up, idiot," said Raga softly.

"Huh?"

"Look," he pointed at their headbands. "They're from the Snow Country. We don't want to piss them off."

"What the fuck is wrong with you? We're _sand_, dude, we can take on anything!" replied Daraka.

"I hope you pose a challenge," said Arcin with a grin, posturing her feet, "because I want to see what'll happen when I crush you."

"Calm down, Arcin," muttered Talani. She put her arm out in front of the other girl. "We can't spill blood…not yet."

Arcin narrowed her eyes, but relaxed her stance.

"Oy, oy, this is so boring," Oriki said as he and his brother entered the clearing, followed by Tara. "Leaving us out of the fight? Now that's not fair."

"And you are?" Daraka snapped.

"Yakara Oriki, and this is Yakara Ariki, not at your service. Ever."

"Her?"

"Tara," she muttered before Ariki or Oriki could say her name. She looked at the other six warily. She had seen them the previous day, but had paid little attention to them.

"So," Ariki said, looking around. "Twenty-four of us passed, and there are nine of us here. Wonder if the other's'll show?"

"Don't get too comfortable," Akio Rena said, strutting into the area. Behind her came Chiro and Hinabi

"Names?" Arcin said.

Oriki groaned. "Are we going to do this with everyone?"

"Only everyone who's annoying," she snapped back.

Tara narrowed her eyes and Yassa rolled his.

"Akio Rena," she replied with a cocky grin. "This is Hyuuga Hinabi, and Aburame Chiro, gotta problem with that?"

Arcin just grinned, cracking her knuckles.

The other four groups appeared, coming in here and there before the assigned time.

"Oy, oy, settle down everyone," a young-looking shinobi said, coming to the front of the group. He rubbed the back of his head and muttered, "Eight groups…how troublesome…" he sighed. "Your original proctor wasn't able to make it today, due to medical issues…so I'm here instead…"

Arcin cracked her knuckles again and grinned, receiving a strange look from Riki. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"My name is Nara Shikamaru," the chuunin said. "And I'm going to tell you the rules only once, so listen very carefully."

Oriki and Ariki zoned out, their eyes going hazy and distant while the proctor spoke, but the others all listened.

"You have five days to complete the exam," he said. "Your team will be given _one_ scroll," he held up two scrolls. "As every year before this one, one is a heaven scroll and one is an earth scroll. Your goal is to have one of each scroll by the time you reach the temple in the center of the forest." He glanced around, to make sure everyone understood what he was saying. "Here's the number one rule: You can't open the scrolls, at all. If you do, your team will be disqualified. Also, all _three_ members of your team must reach the temple, or you're disqualified. Got it?"

Everyone except the twins nodded.

"Good," Shikamaru approached Oriki and shoved some papers into his hand. "This kid here will pass these out, and everyone must fill them out to receive your scrolls. You have a half-hour, and then the exam will begin." He paused. "Oh, and by the way—you may not make it out of here alive. I was told to tell you that troublesome detail before you go into the forest, just in case you want to pull out…" He smirked and walked away.

Oriki shoved the papers into Ariki's hand after taking one. "Pass 'em out, dim-nut."

"Screw you," replied Ariki, passing them on to Tara. She took one from the top and walked away before he could make her pass them out. "Ugh, I hate her sometimes…here," he shoved them into one of the other's hands and followed his twin away from the others.

Yassa narrowed his eyes, watching as Tara leaned up against the fence, promptly filling her form out.

"What do you think, Yassa?" asked Raga. "Will they be trouble?"

"Not the twins—no way," said Daraka. "But, they're from the Rock Village, right?"

Raga nodded.

"Could be interesting. Yassa?"

Yassa left, approaching Tara.

"That guy…thinks he can pick up any girl, eh?" asked Daraka.

"Might be more than that," said Raga softly. "Might be more."

"Think the gal's dangerous?"

"Could be. She's like Yassa, doesn't like to talk."

"What about that Arcin girl?"

"Noisy…she's obviously lacking in skills if she's that loud-mouthed," replied Raga.

Dakara nodded. "We have an interesting competition this year."

"Should be fun."

Daraka only began to fill out his form, watching as Yassa approached the girl.

"Tara, was it?"

"Humph," she replied, pouting as she scribbled down her name.

Yassa leaned back against the fence, watching as the girl sank down to the ground beside him. "Well?"

"Why do you care?"

"Just curious," replied Yassa. He glanced at the headband wrapped about her belt. "Rock?"

She glowered up at him.

"I'm Sand," he offered her his arm, revealing his own headband wrapped around it.

She continued to write.

"Not much of a conversationalist, are you?"

"I don't talk to people weaker than me," she replied, standing up and walking off.

Yassa watched as she left, pushing his hair back from his eyes. This girl was an interesting one. His eyes shifted over to Arcin, who was currently chewing the living days out of her pencil. She was sitting on top of the fence, completely ignoring the barbed wire that was probably stabbing her.

The boy approached her. "You're Arcin, yeah?"

"What the hell do you care?" she asked, hardly looking up from her paper.

"From the Snow Land?"

"Dur."

"Interesting," Yassa said, leaning against the fence again.

"What?" she snapped.

"Snow and Rock are rarely seen, yet here you are," he said slowly, watching as Tara shoved her paper at the twins and walked away.

Arcin rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and like Sand isn't any different, idiot."

He just shrugged.

"Besides, I heard last year that you tried over-throwing Konoha. What an idiotic thing to attempt," she said, and she jumped down from the fence. "Well, whatever. It only shows weakness in you guys, so you'll be a piece of cake." She walked away.

Yassa glanced from her to Tara and back again, thinking.

"Very interesting," he murmured. "Very interesting, indeed…"

Neji lowered his hands and said, "Tara's gone, behind a rock, I think."

"But?" Naruto asked.

"But…it seems that a group came form the Snow Country and from the Sand Country, too."

All eyes shifted to Gaara and Kankurou.

"That's strange," said Kankurou. "I never heard that anyone was coming here."

"We should have joined the exams again," said Naruto gloomily. "Shikamaru's the only one who passed last year…"

"I thought they'd be cancelled, like the ones six months ago," sighed Sakura. She leaned back against a tree.

"It's all for the best, anyways," replied Neji softly. "I don't know if any of us could have beaten that girl."

"Yeah," muttered Kankurou.

Naruto just grumbled and crossed his arms.

"Once they enter the forest, I won't be able to watch them."

"Who do you think'll come out?" asked Kankurou.

"Tara and the twins, for sure," said Naruto.

Gaara looked closer at the group from the Sand Village. "I don't know any of the ones from the Sand Village. They may have been in another part of the village—and since they're another year, that gives Kankurou and I less of a chance of knowing them."

Sakura nodded. "That makes sense."

"The ones from the Snow Country might have a good chance, too," said Naruto. "When Sakura…" he paused. "When we went there, we had a lot of trouble from the snow ninja."

Sakura nodded, her eyes closing slightly and then coming to. "Yeah, they were strong."

"So, we have at least three teams to watch," said Kankurou.

"Four," Neji said, and he smiled. "Hinabi, my cousin, is on one of the Konoha teams."

"Neji…" Gaara began slowly.

He looked at the other boy.

"Before the exams started…" he glanced away. "Before the exams started, Tara delivered a…well, here…"

He pulled a gathering of shuriken from his pouch and revealed one of them to Neji.

His eyes went wide.


	7. Part Seven: Second Exam, Begin!

Part Seven: Second Exam, Begin!

"This is a piece," said Oriki, tossing their groups heaven scroll up and down. "No problem."

Ariki just sighed and stretched.

Tara glanced around the circle. Eight groups and only half of them could survive. Her eyes fell on the group to their right. The girl was trembling, and the boys were trying to look strong. It was no problem, as Oriki had said.

Shikamaru sighed and glanced at his wristwatch. "Begin!"

The gates exploded open and the teams burst into the forest.

Before they had even gained five meters, the Rock trio glided right, knocking directly into the other group.

Tara grabbed the girl by her hair and swung her into the nearest tree, shuriken and kunai shooting from her body, stapling the two boys on the team to trees as well.

Oriki laughed and said, "Holey fuck, Tara, you must want to get this done!"

The girl Tara had caught spun around, kicking Tara in the stomach. Tara let go, stumbling backwards, and the girl shot kunai at her, directly hitting her in the heart and chest.

Tara looked down at herself, as though in pain, and then her eyes opened and a grin spread across her face.

The kunai shot back at the girl, slicing her easily.

"Oy, Tara, we have the scroll," Ariki said, holding up an earth scroll. "You can stop now."

Tara lifted her fingers and a piece of glass shot at the girl. "You're not even worth my time," she muttered, walking away. "Not even worth the blood."

The girl sat, her blue eyes wide, her body trembling, and the glass above her head on the tree. She hadn't been in the exam for five minutes, and already her team had been eliminated. They had almost died, and that girl…she hadn't even suffered a scratch!

The Rock trio disappeared into the forest.

"Oy, oy, this is so boring!" said Daraka. He looked over at Yassa. "What now, eh, Yassa? We have both scrolls…"

"This test was boring," said Raga. "I expected those Leaf punks to put up more of a fight."

Yassa merely glided through the trees beside the others. They would make it to the temple soon, no problem. Their earth scroll matched nicely with the other teams heaven scroll. Though, he couldn't help but feel bad for taking it in such a violent way.

_It can't be helped,_ he thought softly. _We have to do what we have to do._

"Hurry your asses up, you morons!" shouted Arcin.

"Why'd we have to get stuck with her?" muttered Talani. "Why couldn't it have been someone else?"

"You know she's good," replied Riki with a sigh. "Besides, without her, we might not have retrieved the scroll as quickly as we did."

"How pathetic. The competition this year is no fun," said Talani. "I mean, at least we could have had the Uchiha or the Hyuuga boy join us, but no…"

"You know the Hyuuga is still recuperating from his injuries," replied Riki.

"Yeah, I know. That whole deal with Orochimaru's still in affect, isn't it?"

"I'm amazed their having the exams again."

"Me, too," Talani smirked and said, "I thought I saw the Hyuuga and the others watching us before."

"You're too sharp for your own good. I take it that's what made you think of them?"

She nodded.

"Well, what about them?"

"The Hyuuga's cute," she smiled.

Arcin paused and looked up at the sky, the scrolls in her hands. She frowned. "Did you just say a Hyuuga was watching us?"

Talani nodded. "Yeah."

"Interesting."

"What?"

"Why was a Hyuuga watching us?"

"Well, not _us_ parse, but his eyes did come across us," she replied.

"Who was he watching?"

"The Rock group."

"Interesting," muttered Arcin, and she jumped into the air once more. "Very interesting."

Riki frowned.

"What?"

"It's not like her to be interested in this stuff," muttered Riki.

"I know."

"This might be an interesting exam, after all."

"Maybe."


	8. Part Eight: Too Easy

Part Eight: Too Easy

"Well, since all twelve of you are here," Shikamaru said, looking around, "I suppose the Hokage should explain the third exam."

"That was fast," said the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. _Even though the time-limit expired only ten minutes ago, the first three teams made it here in less than two days. Very interesting…they must not have had many problems…_

"At any rate, this final exam is taken by choice, as it's an individual exam," she said. "It's set up tournament style, and since there are only twelve of you, we can go directly into the exam itself without any preliminaries. If you don't want to take the exam, please feel free to leave the room."

No one moved.

"Well, this is your last chance," she said. "Now line up, and take a piece of paper from the box."

The twelve of them stood in a long line and Tsunade smiled. Three of them from Konoha, three of them from the Rock Village, three from the Snow Country, and three from the Sand Village.

Not a bad mix.

They each drew a number.

"From right to left," Tsunade said. "Say your name and number."

"Yakara Oriki, ten."

"Yakara Ariki, two."

"Takura Tara, eight."

"Hyuuga Hinabi, three."

"Aburame Chiro, seven."

"Akio Rena, eleven."

"Milana Riki, five."

"Farati Talani, nine."

"Yassa, four."

"Jirino Daraka, one."

"Makiro Raga, six."

"Arcin, twelve."

"Very good. You know who you will be fighting, and so now you have a month to prepare," Tsunade said, though she looked rather bored. "I hope you all do well in the third exam and in preparation for it. You are dismissed."

The teams left.

"That was way too easy," muttered Arcin as her team left. "I hope the final exam is a little more challenging than this one was…"

"It should be," replied Talani.

"Who was asking you?" snapped Arcin.

"Well, excuse me!" Talani snapped back.

"Both of you shut up," said Riki. "I don't want to deal with you right now!"

"Ooooh, Riki's in his pre-game mind," sneered Arcin. "We'd all better keep quiet, or he might explode."

Tara rolled her eyes and left with Oriki and Ariki, shoving passed the other groups.

"Hey! Wanna try that again, bitch?!" screamed Arcin. She pulled three kunai from a pouch on her hip and threw them at Tara.

Tara stumbled forward when the kunai hit, absorbing the shock nicely. She turned and looked back at Arcin, a smirk forming on her lips.

Arcin's eyes went wide as Tara's body released the kunai.

She dodged them, but barely in time.

"H-hey, Arcin…" gasped Riki. "Arcin, that…that's…"

"Shut up," hissed Arcin. She looked at Tara and said, "I'll forgive you this once. But I'll have you know, in the third exam? You're going down."

Tara merely lifted and lowered a shoulder, leaving the room.

Yassa watched as the tenseness dissipated, a frown emerging on his face. "This is _very_ interesting…"

"Did…did she just…_absorb_ the kunai?" gasped Daraka.

Raga glanced over at Yassa. "Is this why you wanted to come?"

Yassa just smiled and followed the other teams from the room.

"Oy," sighed Daraka softly. "This isn't going to be good, is it?"

"We'll see," replied Raga, and he followed his companion from the room.

Neji was sitting on a bench, looking at the shuriken in his hands. He felt the sadness in his heart, but couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. His uncle had never actually said what had killed Hinata, but now…now he saw.

Tara was sick.

So that was how she had gained the Byakugan…he felt enraged that she could have done such a thing. It was terrible.

Yassa glanced up at the figure on the bench. It was one of the villagers. He was looking at a shuriken.

Deciding to be his nosey self, Yassa leaned up against the wall that ran behind the bench.

Neji looked over at the boy, the change in the chakra in the air sending immediate notification of the other person's presence. "What do you want?"

"You're emitting a great grief," said Yassa softly. "It may be none of my business, but I felt you shouldn't suffer alone."

Neji looked back at the shuriken in his hands and said softly, "It's nothing."

"If you insist," replied Yassa calmly, but he didn't move.

"You're not going to leave, are you?"

"We Sand, we're the pesky type," Yassa replied with a smirk. He looked up at the sky. "It's nice to just sit back and have someone nearby, at any rate."

Neji looked up at the sky, the sunset staining it red and orange. "Shouldn't you be training?"

Yassa smirked and said, "You were watching us, weren't you?"

"What?"

"Earlier today," replied Yassa. "I saw you—we all did, actually. We Sand can be very affected when someone watches us…especially if it's someone we know."

Neji frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "What are you talking about?"

"Gaara of the Desert, and his friend, Kankurou," he replied. "It's not hard to miss them, if you've seen them train before."

"They said they've never seen you before."

"They wouldn't have," replied Yassa. "They're older than we are, and they were trained in a more secretive way. Probably because of their mission last year."

Neji frowned.

"I know you're questioning mine and my companion's reasons for being here by now, but I can assure you, we mean no harm. In fact, you could say us being here is to give Konoha awareness to our true intentions. We're here, so if you guys are still upset about last year, we're the sacrificial lambs."

"You talk too much," Neji said, leaning back.

"Better to say what needs to be said than to just let it build up inside and explode," he replied.

"You sound like a friend of mine. You should meet."

"If we do, we'll undoubtedly clash," replied Yassa. "Two of the same do not always get along so well."

"Are you saying we aren't similar to one another?"

"Now you're assuming we're getting along," replied Yassa with a sly smirk. "Remember, I only came over to ease your sorrow."

Neji looked down at the shuriken in his hand.

Yassa sighed and said, "I'm sure things will get better, in time."

Neji glowered at him and asked, "How can you say that? You've no idea what I'm going through."

"I've been through many things, and the death of family and friends are both included in those things," he replied. "I have no doubt that it will all become clear in time." He smirked and said, "I will see you around."

"Wait," Neji said. "What was your name?"

"Yassa," he replied. "Can I expect the same from you?"

"Hyuuga Neji."

Yassa nodded and said as he continued down the road, "I will see you at the competition, then, Mr. Hyuuga."

Neji looked back down at the shuriken and closed his eyes.

Shikamaru sighed as he pulled his jacket off. "What a troublesome day…and I have to be the proctor for the next exam, too? What a drag…"

He leaned against the back of a chair and looked at the book that was lying open on his desk. He still had not figured out the mysterious Otiyaga trait. It was like it didn't even exist.

He walked over to his window and opened it, sitting on the sill and looking up at the moon as silver clouds drifted by.

He let out another sigh and looked down at the street below him.

He frowned as a shadow raced from a closed cart to an alley, disappearing in and out of the shadows.

Shikamaru groaned and reached for his vest. _How troublesome…_

He jumped out of the window, following the figure as they raced down the alley. He sighed. With the clouds over the moon, he couldn't use his Shadow Imitation jutsu. So, he just followed them until they stopped.

"What're you doing?"

The figure turned, revealing herself to be none other than Arcin. "Buzz off, I'm busy."

"Doing what, exactly?"

"Stalking," she replied hastily.

"Stalking who?"

"Hyuuga Neji," she replied, leaning forwards and looking around a corner, "If you must know."

Shikamaru looked around the corner and saw Neji, the shuriken in his hand. He was headed home. "Somehow I think he knows you're following him. See? He has a shuriken out."

"He had that out before, dumb ass," she replied.

Shikamaru sighed and said, "What's so great about him? He almost died last year, you know."

She shrugged. "I don't care. He's so cute…"

"Hm?" Shikamaru sighed and said, "I suppose I should ask how someone from the Snow Country knows about a Hyuuga…"

"I've heard a lot of rumors about him," she replied. Neji turned a corner, and she sighed. "Look, I've got to—"

"No, not really," replied Shikamaru. "Besides, he's not the kind of guy who would go after a girl right now."

"He's gay, isn't he?" sighed Arcin. She groaned and tugged on one of her pigtails. "Why am I the one who always falls for the gay guys?"

Shikamaru stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants. "I think you should head home. The Hyuuga's have had a terrible loss recently, and I don't think that they'd be too pleased about someone foreign hanging around their estate."

"Loss?" she asked, finally looking at him.

He nodded. "Hyuuga Hinata was found dead recently. She was Neji's cousin."

"How sad," replied Arcin, and shockingly enough, she actually looked sad. "Death is a sad thing, but sometimes it can't be avoided."

"Do you kill?"

She smiled and said, "Sometimes emotions run high, yah know? Sometimes there isn't anything I can do about it…"

"So you kill, then?"

"I don't like to," she admitted. "But it's survival of the fittest. Besides…it's not like I'm here for any other reason."

"What do you mean?"

"My name's Arcin, after all. It means a strong-hold of weapons," she said, looking down at her hands.

"Is that your real name?"

"It's my only name," she replied. But then she curled her hands into fists and said, "But it doesn't matter any more. I suppose I shouldn't be saying any of this to a complete stranger."

"It's fine."

"No," she smirked. "It's not. Look, I guess you're right. I should go." She smirked and waved. "Later." She jumped into the air and headed the opposite way Neji had gone.

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "How troublesome…" He turned and headed back towards his own home, the thoughts running through his head. She sounded as though she had never lived a life other than one of a weapon.

What a long exam session this was turning out to be.


	9. Part Nine: Yassa's Training

Part Nine: Yassa's Training

Yassa tossed a kunai lazily at the tree. He was bored. The sun had hardly risen and already his teammates had gone for breakfast. It made sense, since he was the only one to ever really put anything into his training.

He sighed and tossed another kunai, hitting the first, the second bouncing off. It was just no fun without someone else throwing the kunai at him.

He brushed some sweat from his forehead and unbuttoned his jacket, removing it and revealing not only a white shirt underneath, but also that he was not a he.

Yassa was a she.

She rubbed her throat, removing the jutsu she used to keep her voice so deep. She smirked and tugged on the bandages around her hands. At least now she could move freely. The training would just be a lot less interesting now, but at least she could still train.

She began to run in place, moving faster and faster, and quite suddenly, she blasted off through the forest, running at such a high rate that she was nothing more than a blur of brown and white.

Yassa darted through the trees, suddenly crying out as she ran into a figure.

She rolled around on the ground, not having expected anyone else to be up so early. She twirled around and caught herself by her hands, jumping to her feet. She looked frantically for the one she had run into, and stumbled backwards.

"Neji?!"

He was also getting to his feet, and his eyes lifted to her. He didn't recognize the voice—but, oh, he recognized the face.

"Yassa?"

She stumbled backwards.

"You're a girl?" he asked curiously.

"I, uh…I'm…"

He motioned at a tree, where they could sit. "Maybe you should explain a little."

She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I suppose…"

"Well?"

She looked up at him through her hair. "But how about we make it interesting?"

"Hm?"

"I'll fight you."

"For what?"

"If you win, I'll tell you why I was posing as a guy."

"What if you win?"

"You keep my secret and don't ask any other questions," she replied.

He nodded. "Fair enough."

He adjusted his stance and Yassa closed her eyes, thinking. She tried to remember anything she could on the Hyuuga clan, but there was nothing there. She had heard the name before, but—oh, right. She was fighting against a Hyuuga in the exam.

She looked up at him. "On second thought, how about we make a deal?"

"What?"

"I'll tell you, but you have to keep it a secret and let me pose as a guy."

"Why are you changing your mind?"

"I'm fighting a Hyuuga in the third exam, and it would be unfair of me to fight you and know all of their skills before the actual exam," she replied.

Neji relaxed. Was this girl for real? Finally, he nodded. "Alright."

She smiled and said, "Come on, we can go back to where I was training."

He watched as she headed off into the trees.

"Well? You coming or not?"

Neji shook his head, but followed her. "So, tell me, why are you posing as a guy?"

"In my village, very few women ever become shinobi. I'm sure you met Temari last year," she said. "But she was a special situation. But that isn't the only reason. When I was younger, I was involved in some accident. I can't really remember it, but my hair was so short at the time that everyone thought I was a little boy. The only survivor of a terrible accident," she muttered.

"They were all so convinced that I was a guy, that I guess they convinced me, too," she shrugged. "Besides, guys don't take it easy on other guys. On my missions, I was always able to fight the enemy at their full skills. I didn't have to hold back, and neither did they."

"Sounds to me like you like to fight."

"I enjoy the competition," she said with a soft smile. "The rush, the feeling of immortality…it's all so wonderful."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Neji asked.

She nodded.

"On purpose or for defense?"

She stopped walking and looked at a tree. "This tree does not choose where it grows, yet here it stands, destroying any grass that might have been in its way, whether or not it wants to. I'm like this tree—even when I think I've grown all I can, I haven't, and sometimes, people end up dead."

Neji nodded.

She touched the tree and smiled. "I enjoy life, though. No matter how hellish it can be at times."

"You said yesterday that you've lost friends and family…who killed them? Did you seek revenge?"

"Sometimes I wanted to," she replied. "And yes, sometimes I did. But revenge can be a terrible thing. It can destroy you completely."

Neji nodded, his mind falling back to Sasuke. "I know what you mean."

"And you?"

"I've killed, and I've hated, but I've never sought revenge," he replied. "I suppose I wanted to prove myself."

"Why?"

He touched his forehead and said with a small sad smile, "It's…personal."

She nodded. "It's at times like these that you learn how personal life can be. At any rate, I would ask you to train with me, but, alas, I cannot. I don't like to cheat." She smiled.

Here Neji asked, "Are you going to fight Hinabi to your fullest?"

"That's her name, then," said Yassa calmly. And then she replied, "I only expect that she fights to her fullest as I will. It shouldn't matter if you're a man or a woman, as long as you give it your all."

Neji nodded, looking rather sad.

"I promise you this, though," she said. "I will not kill her or take her near death. I will stop if it comes down to that."

He looked up at her, mildly shocked. Most of the people who took the Chuunin exam were ruthless when it came to winning. "Thank you."

She nodded and said, "These exams are overrated. As I said before, I'd much rather just lay down and relax. I only train hard because I have a goal, and my goal must be reached. Please, tell Miss Hyuuga that I expect nothing less than her best from her."

Neji nodded and turned to leave, but Yassa caught him, "She's very young—is she good enough, do you think?"

He nodded.

"Good. And Mr. Hyuuga? I expect you'll remember your promise?"

He looked back at her, "Call me Neji." With that he jumped into the trees and was gone from sight.

Yassa smiled and looked up at the bluing sky. She placed her hand over her chest and murmured, "Alright, then, Neji." She turned and ran back towards her practicing site, now ready for breakfast.


	10. Part Ten: What of the Mind

Part Ten: What of the Mind

"More!" shouted Arcin, lifting her bowl up.

"Miss, we're out," said the man behind the counter, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Agh! You guys can't run out of Raman! This is a Raman stand, isn't it?!" she snapped.

"Out of Raman? Oh, man…" Naruto had appeared and was holding his stomach, which was growling. "That's not fair…"

"How troublesome…"

"I know that voice!" Arcin shouted, leaning back. "Show your face!"

Shikamaru sighed and looked at her. "Hello, again."

She narrowed her eyes. "Nara Shikamaru, right?"

He nodded. "Arcin?"

"Believe it!"

"That's _my_ line!" snapped Naruto.

She rolled her eyes. "What're you doing here?"

"Hoping to get a hot meal," said Shikamaru, "but it appears you beat us to it."

"Sorry Naruto, we're closed," said the Raman man. "She ate us out of house-and-home…that reminds me…here's your bill."

Arcin sneered at the piece of paper and waved it off. "If I don't get my fill, I'm not paying."

"Are you insane?!" the man screamed. "You just ate our entire stock of Raman!"

She waved a hand at him and said, "I'm not full. If you want me to pay, I want more to eat." She slammed her hands on the bench and shouted, "I demand customer satisfaction!"

Naruto groaned, his stomach rumbling. "She's right…you should have more Raman in stock if that's all it takes for you to go out…"

"She had fifteen bowls!" shouted the man. "Plus the others that were here before her!"

The girl lifted her bowl and swirled it around, demanding, "More Raman!"

Shikamaru sighed, looking the girl over. Even though she had eaten so much, she hardly looked to have gained any weight at all.

"Maybe you should just pay the bill," said Shikamaru. "We can go somewhere else and get Raman."

"But this place had the best!" Naruto groaned. "The _best_!"

"You'll just have to suffer."

She growled, but agreed, and pulled out her wallet, glanced at the bill, and without flinching, she shoved a couple of bills onto the table. "There, keep the change, I guess."

They took the money, glowering at her.

Arcin sighed and stood up. She stretched and looked at the two boys, who were staring at her blankly. "What?"

"You just paid for all of that without batting an eye," said Naruto.

"He's right," Shikamaru added, "don't you have any concern on how much you spend?"

"I need a lot to keep myself going," she replied, and as if to back her up, her stomach gave off a growl. "Come on; let's find something else to eat…"

Half way through the meal at the newly found Raman Stand, Naruto gave in and stopped eating. He paid the Raman man and left, waving bye to Shikamaru and giving the girl horrified eyes. "I've never met a girl who could out-eat me."

She grinned through her Raman and said, "That's fine. I've yet to meet anyone who can out-eat me and not die."

"You should meet Chouji," said Shikamaru softly. "You two would get along great."

She shrugged and demanded another bowl.

"Well, good luck at the competition," said Naruto, and he was gone.

Shikamaru sighed. "That's right. The competition is only in a few weeks…have you trained at all?"

"Why the hell do you think I'm so hungry?" she demanded as she began to slurp on her new bowl. "I'm so ready!"

"Who do you fight again?"

"Mm…Rena, or something like that," she replied through bites. "But whatever. She's can't beat me."

"How do you know?"

"I just do," she replied with a shrug.

After nearly ten more minutes, Arcin decided she was full and paid the man. "That was great!" she sighed as they walked down the street. "But not as good as the Raman at home. They make it extra hot!"

Shikamaru smiled and put his hands into his pockets. "So, have you given up on Neji?"

She shrugged. "Probably, since I haven't seen him around…ah, well. Life's too short to waste looking at guys who never see you."

Shikamaru shook his head. "It's so bothersome to find anyone these days."

"Who knows," she replied.

"Do you play games?"

"Sure."

"Like what?"

"Mm…I like Go and Shogi," she replied. "And I like backgammon, solitaire, hearts…the list goes on forever."

Shikamaru smirked. "Wanna play some Shogi?"

"If you're ready to lose!"

"I've never lost a game," he replied.

"Neither have I," she grinned and they headed off.

Once they had found a board and hourglass, they began.

"You can have the first move," she said, crossing her legs on her seat.

"Ladies first."

"No way."

"I never thought you'd be so generous."

She winked, "The first move is cursed."

He shook his head. "What nonsense…" and he moved his piece.

Fifty minutes later, it was her turn, and she was leaned over the board, her eyes examining all of the pieces. She had never played anyone this good before. "Hmmm…"

He smiled. He could see a counter-move, but it was so well hidden that he doubted she would see it…

She lifted a piece and moved it, and Shikamaru sighed. "You saw it…"

"Of course," she smiled and said, "Sharp eyes."

He leaned back and examined the board, but was too stumped to make any moves. He placed his hands together and closed his eyes, as he often did to come up with a solution to a problem.

His eyes opened slowly and he moved a piece. "I believe that's checkmate."

She smiled.

He sighed. "You saw it, didn't you?"

"Before I even made the move," she laughed and said, "but you left the path open, knowing I would take it, didn't you? You cornered me."

He nodded.

She lifted the last piece that had been played and examined it. "This is the first piece you moved."

"I guess the first move isn't cursed, then," he replied.

"Well, either way," she tucked the piece into her pocket. "It's bad to steal, but if I'm taking good-luck, then it should cancel itself out, and I'll have enough luck left over to do well in the exams."

"I thought you said you weren't worried about them?"

"I'm not," she winked. "I'm strong, and I know that I'm stronger than my opponent."

"How so?"

She stood up and brushed herself off. "Unlike her, I can't die. Anyways, it was a good game. We'll have to play again sometime." She bowed and left.

Shikamaru looked back at the board and frowned. The girl was good, he wouldn't give her grief about that…but still, board games didn't relate to real life all the time.


	11. Part Eleven: Twins and Things

Part Eleven: Twins and Things

"Oh, man," groaned Ariki. "My fight's first…"

"Duh."

"Come on, can't you show some sympathy?"

"No," replied Oriki, "because you want to go first, and both of us know it."

Ariki grinned. "I'm going against that Daraka kid…the sand-guy."

"Think he's anything like Gaara?"

"No one's like Gaara."

"True," replied Oriki. "Should be easy enough, yeah?"

"Right."

Oriki looked over at Tara. She was looking at a tree. It had glass and all sorts of other objects sticking out of it. "Think she's ready?"

"Her first bout is no problem," he replied. "The bug-guy? No problem."

"True."

"Though, I have noticed…Gaara's been watching her," said his twin. "All the time now."

"She knows, I'm sure."

"Think she asked him the Question?"

"Of course."

"What a fool."

"She is."

"I'm scared of her."

"We all are."

"The Takura trait…it's terrifying…"

"Good thing she's the only one."

"Yeah."

"We'll see how it goes."

"Indeed."


	12. Part Twelve: The Third Exam Opens:

Part Twelve: The Third Exam Opens: Ariki vs. Daraka!

"Well, I'm glad to see that everyone's on time this year," said Shikamaru, looking around. "Now, the rules are simple: There are no rules. Anything goes. I will stop the match if I think that it has ended, and only I can stop a match, so if you turn your back thinking it's over and die, don't blame me. Any questions?"

No one moved.

"Alright, then let's get started with the first match," Shikamaru looked at his notepad and said, "Everyone except Jirino Daraka and Yakara Ariki please go and wait in the competitors box."

The others all left and Daraka and Ariki both remained on the arena field.

Shikamaru said calmly, "Are you two ready?"

They nodded.

"Begin!" he jumped out of the way.

Daraka situated his feet, his eyes following Ariki, even if he wasn't moving. Ariki smirked and his eyes went lazy as he drifted off into another place. His glasses slipped down his nose, landing on the ground before him.

"This is gonna be cake!" Dakara muttered to himself. He launched forwards, pulling a tube from his side. He took in a deep breath and focused his chakra in him mouth, and blowing through the tube, shot multiple beams of sharp chakra at Ariki.

Ariki's eyes, still unfocused, saw the attack without hesitation. The chakra beams shot upwards from him and turned around in the air, coming directly back at Dakara.

"What the hell?!"

Ariki's eyes focused again as the chakra hit the spot where Dakara had been standing.

"How the fuck did you do that?!"

Ariki let his eyes go hazy again and Dakara felt the world around him press in, his body becoming more and more confined.

He grabbed his tube and began to shoot chakra at the invisible box.

"What's happening?" Sakura asked, looking at Neji.

He was using his Byakugan, his eyes focused on the boy. "He's able to manipulate chakra after it has left his body. My bet is with his eyes or something…that's why he took his glasses off."

"That's so weird," said Sakura.

Dakara felt the box closing in and he pulled his arms tighter around himself, trying to force himself to think of someway to counter the invisible attack. He felt sweat rolling down his face, his body shaking violently. It wasn't fair.

He cracked one of his eyes open and saw Yassa watching from below. His eyes were sad.

"_Do you think this Rock kid's gonna be hard to fight?_"

"_I don't know,_" Yassa had said.

"_I don't think so. But then again, it's been a really long time since any Rock Villagers have been to a Chuunin exam…_"

"_True._"

"_You're not worried._"

"_No._"

"_You got the easy one…the Hyuuga._"

"_Yeah._"

"_Oh, well._"

"_Just do your best._"

"_You're too nice…you're gonna lose because you're so nice._"

He hadn't replied.

"_Well, okay, I lied...but still, I want your confidence._"

Dakara turned and looked at Ariki. He didn't want the battle to end here—not after so much work. His eyes shifted around the stadium, falling onto Kankurou. Not after he had idolized the puppet master so heavily as a child. Not after all he had done to get where he was.

Ariki looked up at him and began to laugh softly. "I can feel your spirit. It's sad to think that I have to crush it."

Even though his eyes were aimed towards Dakara, Ariki's eyes were still unfocused.

Dakara felt the box tightening around him. He pressed his hands against the wall in front of him and screamed as he was crushed to death.

Ariki knelt down and picked his glasses up and put them back on, his eyes refocusing and the boy's dead body falling from the sky.

"So _that's_ how they cheated during the first exam," murmured Kankurou, watching as the boy left the arena.

"Winner, Yakara Ariki," said Shikamaru, looking at the dead boy as he was removed from the arena on a stretcher. Even though he had been allowed to stop the fight, it was only if the other boy was physically unable to do anything. Dakara had been able to move still. Shikamaru looked up at the competitor's box. "The next match is between Hyuuga Hinabi and Yassa. Competitors, please come down."


	13. Part Thirteen: Byakugan vs

Part Thirteen: Byakugan vs. the Unexpected Jutsu

Hinabi approached the center of the arena, Neji's eyes following her. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He was terrified for her, but when he saw Yassa drop from the competitor's box, he felt a little better. Especially when her eyes met his. She smiled briefly and approached the center of the arena.

"Are you both ready?" Shikamaru asked.

Hinabi nodded. "Yes."

"Yeah," replied Yassa.

"Begin!" he jumped out of the way.

Yassa situated her feet and looked at Hinabi. "I expect the best from you, Miss Hyuuga."

"My cousin said you would say that," said Hinabi softly, and she arranged her feet as well, preparing for the soft-hand-style. She focused her chakra and commanded, "_Byakugan!_"

Yassa smiled and relaxed, waiting for the younger girl to come at her.

Hinabi began, racing forwards with all of her might. She missed her first attack, and her second, Yassa merely dodging the moves without trouble.

"You're too slow," she said.

Hinabi narrowed her eyes. "I won't hurt you if your Neji-nii-san's friend."

Yassa paused. She glowered up at Neji and replied to Hinabi, "We've spoken twice; there is no friendship between us."

"There is," she replied.

"If you will not fight me like your life is on the line, then I must make you."

"Why?"

"I want to see you shine your best, and I'm sure Mr. Hyuuga does, too," she replied.

Hinabi paused. "I can't hit you."

"Why?"

"You're…" she blushed. "You're a boy."

"That shouldn't matter."

"It does. If I hit you, it's unfair, because it's not proper for a guy to hit a girl back."

Yassa frowned. She stood still for a long time before she nodded and said, "Then we'll make it fair." She pulled her jacket off and tossed it aside.

Neji's eyes went wide. Yassa had just revealed herself to the entire stadium!

Sakura gasped. "He's a…_girl_?!"

Raga's eyes went wide. "No…no way. Yassa's a girl?!"

"A transformation jutsu?" asked Hinabi.

"No," replied Yassa, her voice now feminine. "I'm a girl. It's even. Fight me for all you're worth."

Hinabi frowned and nodded, and then raced forwards.

Neji watched intently as the two of them moved, fighting for all they were worth, their hands moving. Hinabi was very skilled at the Hyuuga-style of fighting, but Yassa didn't seem to mind. Even where she was hit, it seemed she wasn't affected by the strikes.

Finally the two of them separated, both of them breathing hard.

Yassa smiled. This was what she had hoped for. So far, she was enjoying the fight with Hinabi. It was a friendly match, even if they were supposed to be competing for the title of chuunin.

Hinabi lifted her kunai and tossed them at Yassa. She smiled and prepared another set behind her back.

Yassa jumped to the side, avoiding the kunai, but in attempting to avoid them, she was struck by the second pair.

She gasped, stumbling backwards, clutching her chest.

Neji was at his feet, his eyes wide. He couldn't see what had happened.

Yassa looked up at the competitor's box and smirked.

_This is where it is, then…_ she thought.

She stood up, the kunai absorbing into her skin through her shirt. She clenched her hands into fists, not at all enjoying the feeling that the kunai emitted as they dug into her skin. They turned around and shot back at Hinabi, who spun quickly with the Kaiten, avoiding the attack.

"What…what are you?" whispered the younger girl after her defense had ended.

Up in the stands, Tara stared at the girl, wide-eyed. She had never seen anyone else able to use her moves like that before! No one else had ever been able to absorb and repel an attack like that other than her!

Yassa stood up and regained her stance. "Let's continue."

Hinabi was quivering. Watching someone just absorb the kunai…it was impossible!

"Miss Hyuuga, if you do not attack me, I will be forced to end this bout, and I'm sure Mr. Hyuuga would not be pleased with that."

Neji was the same as his cousin—his body wouldn't move. He'd known that Tara could absorb objects, but finding that someone else could do the same? It was hard to believe, especially since the trait was supposedly one that resided within the Takura clan and no where else.

Yassa glanced around the stadium and sighed. _You made a mess of that one…I suppose it's just as well, though. First scare everyone with showing that you're really a girl, and then terrify them by absorbing the kunai. What a day…_

She looked up at the sky, thinking. Mostly she just wanted to go and sit by a lake and relax, but she knew she couldn't. She looked back over at Hinabi and said, "Please, Miss Hyuuga, it's not as bad as it seems. Perhaps you should start once more?"

Hinabi forced herself to relax. _It's okay. Probably just a Bloodline Limit…nothing more…it's okay…it's okay…_

She regained her stance and narrowed her eyes, her Byakugan arising. She took in a deep breath and let it out.

_I won't lose._

Yassa relaxed into her own stance. She was always so tired after she used it. She wished that her Bloodline Limit didn't take so much chakra from her. That was why she disliked using it, because it drained her too fast, and she had little to no control over it.

She also didn't like hurting people, and with such a violently unpredictable trait, it often happened that people got hurt.

_Not this time,_ she thought. _Mr. Hyuuga is watching us, and if I hurt his cousin, he will be most displeased._

That was where she paused. Even when Hinabi changed her stance, preparing for the 64 Points of Divinity, Yassa was focused elsewhere. She had never before thought of pleasing someone other than herself. It was true that she was very level-headed and that she would often speak as if trying to please them, but most of the time, she was gathering information. Her unique disposition allowed her to gather information in some of the most difficult places. Even though she had never completely revealed her Bloodline Limit, she had shown bits and pieces during her training sessions. She had earned the nickname, "Molten Body."

Yassa looked up at the stands, her eyes falling on Neji. Why was it that she cared now what he thought of her when she was fighting his cousin? Why was it that she wanted Hinabi to show her strength, to prove to him that she was good enough to become a chuunin? And yet, here Yassa was, realizing that she really wanted nothing more than to show Neji that she was kind enough to let Hinabi win.

She looked back at the girl, who was charging at her, fingers poised.

Yassa felt the first few hits, the pain exploding inside of her as her chakra points were struck. She had never fought anyone like this before, nor did she know much about the Byakugan, so she was at a clear disadvantage, especially since her chakra points were her weak spots.

She collapsed after Hinabi had finished, the younger girl breathing hard.

The crowd began to whisper, the soft noise turning into a swarm as more and more people spoke.

Neji sat down slowly.

"What happened?" asked Sakura.

"Hinabi used the 64 Points of Divinity on her. There's no way she's going to be able to fight…unlike Naruto, I don't think she has any demons inside of her that can lend her chakra."

"But if she's like Tara, why didn't her skin just absorb the strikes?"

"My guess is that she doesn't want to hurt Hinabi."

Sakura nodded. "She's a good fighter, then."

Neji frowned and watched as Yassa slowly pushed herself to her feet. Her eyes shifted from Hinabi to Neji and back to Hinabi.

"You shouldn't be moving," Hinabi said softly. "I just hit every one of your chakra points…there's nothing you can do, now."

Yassa nodded. "I know."

Tara smirked. She caught Yassa's eyes and within a blip of a few seconds, it seemed that Yassa saw something within the other girl's eyes.

She looked back at Hinabi, and then to Tara again.

Yassa frowned. If Hinabi won, and she managed to get passed Ariki, then she would undoubtedly have to fight Tara. If she fought against Tara, she would die.

Yassa watched as Hinabi regained her stance. "I don't want to fight you anymore."

"I'm sorry Miss Hyuuga, but I have to do what I have to do."

"You're going to keep fighting me?"

"I have to," she replied. "If I don't, you may die, and I promised Mr. Hyuuga that I wouldn't let you get hurt."

"I can take care of myself," said Hinabi stubbornly.

"I suppose you can," replied Yassa. "But if you do win, you may end up fighting someone with less restraint than I, and if you do, they will kill you."

Hinabi frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I have a feeling that I'm not the only one here with such unique abilities as these, and the person you would fight is much stronger than I am. They will not hold back because you are a child."

Tara smirked and crossed her arms.

Ariki and Oriki glanced at her, and then back down at Yassa. Was there a chance that she actually knew about Tara's abilities? They weren't sure, and doubt wasn't a luxury they could afford anymore. If she did know, then a problem might be posed, especially since she had the unique ability as well.

But then…

Ariki looked at Oriki and Oriki looked at Ariki. If Yassa had the Takura trait, then that meant she was somehow related to Tara. But, that couldn't be! Tara was an only child, her parents drowned for their terrifying trait and the child only saved because she showed no signs of the trait itself. At least, that was what Tara had told them.

By the time Tara had shown signs, she had become more of a tool than a person, and they let her live. She was the Molten Rock of the Rock Village, a unique commodity that could not be let out of their sight and power.

And now another one had arrived.

"I don't want to hurt you, but I have no choice," Yassa said softly. She started towards Hinabi, stumbling a bit, but finally regaining her balance. Her chakra points had been blocked, and it was true that they were her weakness, but her strange body allowed her pores to force themselves open. Granted, she would probably pass out after she took Hinabi down, but she knew that she had to do what she had to do. She couldn't let Hinabi get hurt by that other girl. It wasn't an option to hurt Neji, or anyone close to him.

She struck Hinabi in the stomach, the younger girl falling into the older.

Yassa gently laid Hinabi's body on the ground, revealing the girl to have passed out.

She then stood up, her legs shaking. She had no chakra left; the only thing driving her was the desire to keep the young Hyuuga away from the monster above.

Shikamaru looked from Hinabi to Yassa and nodded. "Hinabi is no longer able to fight. The winner is Yassa."

Yassa smiled and promptly collapsed, passing out before she could hear whether or not the crowd was cheering her on.


	14. Part Fourteen: Brains vs Brains

Part Fourteen: Brains vs. Brains

Raga watched as Yassa and the Hyuuga girl were taken away on stretchers. He frowned. So far, one of his teammates had failed, losing his life, and the other had been incapacitated, but won.

He jumped down to the arena, Shikamaru looking at him curiously. "You're one of the competitors?"

"Makiro Raga," he replied.

"Alright," Shikamaru looked at his notepad. "Can Milana Riki come down, then?"

Riki appeared from the bottom of the steps and approached them, looking from Shikamaru to Raga.

Shikamaru sighed. _This one's gonna be a drag after the last match. These two don't look like they want to fight…at all…_

"Well, then, I guess if you're both ready, we'll start the match."

"Sure."

"Okay."

"Begin!" he jumped out of the way.

Neji stood up and left, Sakura watching him go. She looked sad. He was probably going to go check up on Hinabi. The poor girl had been hit pretty hard.

Sakura looked back to the match, watching as the two boys didn't move.

"So, you're Milana Riki?" asked Raga.

Riki nodded. "Sure thing. You must be Makiro Raga."

"Yeah."

"Never heard of you."

"I don't expect so, since I've never heard of you."

"Interesting that Snow and Sand should have to fight this one out, hm?"

"Sure."

"Well," said Raga, positioning his feet, "I suppose these people want to see us fight."

"How unfortunate," said Riki, also lifting his hands and positioning his feet. "But I suppose you're right."

"They could almost be brothers," said Sakura to Naruto. "They act almost the same."

Naruto nodded and leaned forward, watching the fight intently. "What d'you think they're gonna do?"

She shook her head, "I don't know."

Neji entered the medical room, his eyes shifting from Hinabi to Yassa. They had been set across the room from each other. He watched as the doctors paid attention to Hinabi, and so he walked over to Yassa.

She was out cold.

He placed his hand on her bed, thinking. He then turned and looked at Hinabi.

A doctor turned to him and smiled. "Hello, Mr. Hyuuga. Hinabi will be fine, if that's what you're wondering. That girl hit her hard enough to knock her out, but not hard enough to do any damage."

Neji nodded and looked back at Yassa. "What about this one?"

"She might be conscious for her next match, since it probably won't be until tomorrow," he smiled and said, "She should have her chakra abilities back by then, too."

Neji nodded. "I see."

"I must ask," the doctor said slowly as the others left the room, "why it is that you're so concerned with the one who took your cousin out of the competition?"

"She's a friend," replied Neji.

"She must be some friend for you to be so worried about her." The doctor left the room.

Neji looked down at Yassa, wondering why she had taken Hinabi out in the first place. He knew that she had fought with restraint, even when she'd said she wasn't going to. She had allowed Hinabi to have a chance, seen what she could do, but hadn't hurt her other than knocking her out.

He took a chair and rested beside her bed, closing his eyes. The other competitions were no doubt going to be interesting, but he felt that he would be needed when Hinabi and Yassa awoke.

Raga sighed and squatted rather suddenly. He executed a jutsu and shoved his hand onto the ground, the rock and sand cracking under his hands.

Riki launched himself into the air, landing with ease in one of the trees. He looked down and smiled. "I don't like the way you fight."

"That's just fine with me," replied Raga. He stood up and focused his chakra to his feet, the ground under him lifting up. He rode the back of the rock as it blasted towards the tree Riki was in.

Riki flipped out of the tree, landing neatly in another one. He moved his fingers and hands, coming up with a retort to the other jutsu.

"_Ice Element: Ice Spear Jutsu!_" Ice shot from his hands, flying at Raga.

Raga just sighed and lifted his hands, rocks eroding around him, lifting into the air to block the attack.

"He compressed the sand into rock," murmured Oriki. "That's amusing, since he's not from our village."

"Very amusing."

"I like this one."

"He has brains."

"So does the other one."

"Very interesting, I think."

"I like it."

"Me, too."

Riki sighed and jumped into another tree as the one he had been in was nearly mowed down. "This is boring."

"Well?" asked Raga.

Riki looked over at Talani and Arcin. Talani had her match against one of the twins, and Arcin would win no matter what, so why should he put any effort into fighting when he didn't feel like it?

"I give in," he said, and Raga stopped the earth mound. Riki dropped from the tree and walked over to the steps.

"What?!" screamed Arcin. "Are you a fucking idiot?! Keep fighting, you moron!"

"IDIOT!" screamed Talani. "WEAKLING!"

Riki looked up at them and then turned to Shikamaru and Raga, who had let the mound of earth disappear into the ground. "Obviously you have more motivation than I do. Both of my teammates will proceed to the next round, so I don't have any reason to fight you. Besides, everyone here knows that Snow can beat Sand without any troubles."

Shikamaru nodded. "Makiro Raga is the winner, Milana Riki forfeits."

Raga smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. He followed the other boy to the steps.

"That was boring!" shouted Naruto, the rest of the crowd joining in. "Why didn't he keep fighting?!"

Sakura shook her head. These guys reminded her of Shikamru, in their own sense.

Ariki and Oriki just burst into laughter. "Those fools!"

"Fools, indeed!"

"I can't believe we were thinking about how smart they were!"

"Smart? Not at all!"

"Such weaklings!"

"So pathetic!"

"Want me to squish you?!" screamed Arcin.

The twins burst into laughter again.

Tara glanced at them. "Shut up."

They died down into chuckles, but silenced themselves anyways. After all, her match was next, and pissing her off wasn't the brightest idea.

Well, they didn't have to piss her off, anyways. They could always motivate her in other ways.

"Finally, my favorite match," said Ariki, cracking his knuckles.

"Mine, too," Oriki said, looping his hands behind his head.

"Get pumped!" shouted the other twin.

"Go, go, go!" said Oriki.


	15. Part Fifteen: Ariki’s Favorite Match:

Part Fifteen: Ariki's Favorite Match: Tara vs. Chiro!

"Alright!" said Ariki, thrusting his fist into the air. "Finally, it's your turn to fight, Tara!"

"Go kick his ass!" said Oriki.

Tara dropped from the competitor's box, landing easily and walking over to Shikamaru. Aburame Chiro appeared on Shikamaru's other side.

"Are both of you ready?" Shikamaru asked.

Tara nodded.

Chiro shrugged.

"Alright then, begin," he launched out of the way, moving just in time to avoid a blast of glass needles and kunai from Tara's body.

Chiro jumped into the air, landing far from where the initial attack had started. _What is this?_

Tara grinned and dropping her arms, she ran towards him, needles poking out from her skin and clothes. She jumped into the air, "_Twirling Pine Jutusu!_"

More of the needles and kunai launched from her body, landing hard against the ground as she grew closer and closer to Chiro. The boy jumped into the air, landing on the branch of a tree.

He lifted his hands as the bugs came forth, ready for battle.

Tara stopped rotating, landing perfectly. She glowered up at him.

Bugs glided from him to her.

"Come on, Tara, pick it up! This guy's no sweat!" shouted Ariki.

"Move your ass, girl!" shouted Oriki. "Use the perfect defense!"

She lifted her hands and took on a far too familiar stance. She lifted her arms, creating chakra lines. She bent and weaved them just as Hinata had and soon a cage of chakra formed around her. Under that, she took the formation for the Kaiten.

She spun around, the bugs at first being voided off, but soon they began to feed off of the chakra and she was forced to slow down.

Chiro watched, waiting until the right moment before launching himself from the tree. He shot kunai and shuriken at her, her body catching them. She stumbled backwards with each strike. Even if her body absorbed the instruments, she was still affected by the shock.

He landed, the bugs swarming around both of them.

Tara lifted her head, her eyes narrowed, a grin plastered across her face. The kunai and shuriken absorbed into her flesh.

Chiro's eyes widened and he jumped backwards, preparing for the worst.

Tara laughed. "You think you can beat me?! I can't die, fool!"

She lowered her body and raced at the boy.

Arcin's eyes were wide. She was having troubles breathing.

"Arcin," murmured Talani, "That's…that's…"

"S-shut up," Arcin whispered. "Just shut up!"

Talani watched as Arcin stared down below. Today two people had been able to use the same attack and defense method, and it was no doubt a terrifying factor, but what was even worse—this attack and defense factor was Arcin's special ability, her Bloodline Limit.

She was thought to be an only child, the sole survivor of her family, so to see that two other people had the same factor as her…

It was rather disturbing.

Tara caught Chiro by the neck, slamming him into the arena wall.

He gasped for air, his body trembling.

She grinned up at him and said, "You've lost."

He struggled, his hands reaching for his kunai pouch, his fingers managing to pull it open. He finally got a kunai into his hand and lifted it into the air.

"What're you planning to do with that?" she mocked. "Even if you stab me, I won't die."

He slammed the kunai into her forehead.


	16. Part Sixteen: Awaken

Part Sixteen: Awaken

Yassa gasped, sitting up and clutching her chest.

Neji opened his eyes, looking at her curiously.

She looked over at him. The room was empty except for the two of them. "Where's Miss Hyuuga?"

"She woke up a while ago," replied Neji. "Her father came and got her."

Yassa nodded, releasing her grip on her chest. She looked up out the window.

"You really did a great job of surprising everyone today," Neji said, leaning back in his chair.

Yassa smirked. "It can't be helped." She clutched at the blanket that had been placed over her. "Why aren't you with Miss Hyuuga?"

Neji glanced at her and replied, "You were still unconscious, and she seemed fine."

"Is she mad?"

"Yes. She was so convinced that she had you beaten," Neji frowned. "You had us all convinced. How were you able to move after she closed all of your chakra points?"

"I…I don't know," replied Yassa. "My body does what it wants, when it wants. I can't control when I absorb something, or when I don't. Earlier in the match, my body was absorbing her strikes, but then it stopped…and then…" she looked at her hands. They were shaking. "I think my body can force itself to do something, even if for only a short amount of time."

"So you reopened your chakra pores?"

She nodded.

"No wonder you passed out."

"I guess."

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Yes, you should go and see your family," she said hastily. She pushed the covers on the bed back and moved to stand up.

Neji got to his feet. "What are you—?"

She landed but collapsed, Neji catching her. "—insane? You can't move…it's a miracle you could move before."

"When is the next match?" she asked, pushing herself away and leaning against the bed.

"Your next match is tomorrow. Because there are twelve of you, they decided to split it into two days."

"Who's going now?"

"I-I don't know," he replied. "I think it was Tara and Chiro."

Yassa looked at the doorway into the room. "We have to get out there."

"Why?"

"Tara's not like me," she said. "She won't hold back. If someone gets in her way, she'll kill them."

"That's why you took Hinabi out, isn't it?"

Yassa nodded, her legs trembling. "She's good enough to get passed the twin, but I don't think she could make it passed Tara. I…didn't want to see her die."

"You don't have to worry about that right now. Tara's going against Aburame Chiro, and he's pretty good, according to my cousin."

"It doesn't matter," she replied, struggling to stand on her own. "We have to stop them…he could die."

"When people enter this exam, they realize that," he replied, and carefully he put his arms around her. "Right now, you need to rest, especially if you're going to beat Tara."

She began to shake. No one had ever been this close to her before. It was uncomforting. "Why do I need to beat her?"

Neji looked away. "Come on, I'll help you back into bed."

Well, at least now she knew why he had his arms around her. "It's fine, I can manage."

She put her hands against the mattress and attempted to pull herself back up, her arms shaking.

"You're still too weak to be moving," he said softly, and he helped her into the bed. "Please, rest."

She leaned against the wall, looking out the window across the room. "It shouldn't matter if I win or lose," she said after a moment. "Tara's more dangerous than I am."

"So you're going to give in?" he asked.

"She has better control of her Bloodline Limit than I do," she replied. "I can't control it completely…it comes and goes as it pleases."

Neji shook his head and sat down. "It shouldn't matter."

"I don't want to die," replied Yassa. "I treasure life too much to just let it go."

"Then why did you become a ninja?"

"There was no other option for me," she replied. "With my Bloodline Limit…there was no other choice. I had to be a ninja."

Neji crossed his arms over his chest.

"Besides," she said softly, "I have to find the people who murdered my family."

"I thought you said it was an accident?"

She looked down at her hands. "Accidents don't happen when people are terrified of you."

"Tell me about it, then."

She seemed to think it over before finally replying, "I was very young, and it was cold out…the villagers came to our house, my mother and father both hiding us in the back room. I could hear someone crying…"


	17. Part Seventeen: Immortality

Part Seventeen: Immortality

Tara screamed.

Chiro felt her hand tighten around his neck, her other hand gripping her forehead, blood gushing between her fingers.

She was trembling.

Had he done it?

She was shaking violently, and her hand began to loosen around his neck.

He couldn't believe it! He had done it!

He lifted his hands, preparing to bring the bugs out, but quite suddenly, the blood stopped flowing. She pulled her hand away from her forehead, revealing smeared blood over her flawless forehead.

Her hand tightened around his neck again.

She grinned, and before his eyes, the kunai began to emerge again, slowly at first, and then once it was almost completely out, it stopped.

"What do you think death is like?" she asked softly. "Do you think it's pleasant, or do you think it's cold?"

Chiro's eyes were wide.

She lifted her free hand to his glasses and pulled them off. "I like to see my enemy's eyes before I kill them."

His glasses fell to the ground, and she smirked.

His eyes were hexagonal, similar to bug eyes.

"Very nice," she said softly. "I can't wait to have a pair of those…"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his hands clutching at the one around his neck. Little bugs were running down her body, eating away at her chakra.

She licked her lips. "I can absorb your clan's trait and abilities, just from devouring your blood through my skin…so I can tell you now; this is going to be a tasty meal."

Sweat rolled down his face and under the collar of his jacket.

The kunai launched from her forehead, striking him in the same spot. His arms went limp and blood drooled from the gash. She grabbed the kunai with her free hand and tore it out of his skull. She tossed it aside, and pressed her hand against his forehead, the blood running along her fingers and arm.

Shikamaru was standing stock-still, unable to even speak. He was trembling. Even the Hokage was leaning forward in her chair, her fingers gripping the arms, her eyes wide. She couldn't believe it! Who the hell was this girl?!

The blood began to steam as it was absorbed into her skin. She grinned as she felt the wonderful blood flow through her veins. This was the only way she could keep her body alive. She had to kill to replenish the blood that she was continuously using and losing, and what better way than this?

She dropped Chiro's limp body once she had had her fill.

Tara turned her eyes onto Shikamaru.

He took in a long breath and finally let it out, "Winner…Takura Tara."

She smirked.

Gaara and Kankurou were standing, their eyes wide, sweat rolling down their faces. It had been one thing to hear her say that she could kill like that, but a completely different thing to see it.

"She…she just…_killed_ him…" gasped Kankurou. "She just killed him, Gaara!"

Gaara collapsed into his seat, sweat running down his neck. He didn't know why, but his vision was blurring. He felt cold, and passed out.

Tara arrived at the competitor's box, her eyes scouting over all of the others. She grinned, her eyes falling onto Raga, as if to say, "You're next."

She turned and looked back down at the arena as Shikamaru slowly regained his composure, the medics coming out to get the boys body. As they hurried off, Shikamaru said, "The next match is between Farati Talani and Yakara Oriki."

The two descended into the arena and approached the center.

Oriki grinned and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.


	18. Part Eighteen: Rush of Vengeance

Part Eighteen: Rush of Vengeance

"I thought that they had died," Yassa said. "I thought that my sister's had died when the villagers came and took Mother and Father away…" she was looking at her hands. "We were only four years old at the time; on the border of the Wind Country, in our Village of Shadows…Mother and Father were the only remaining carriers of our Bloodline Limit, aside from me and my sisters.

"When Mother and Father were taken away, we were split up. I watched as they were drowned, Mother and Father," she said. "It was the only way the villagers could think of to kill them. When they came back for us, we were gone."

She rubbed her hand over her forehead, as if remembering something hitting her there and said, "I went back the next day to see if I could find my sisters, to see if they had managed to make it out alive…but there was nothing there. Our house had been destroyed, burnt to the ground…I had no choice but to leave…

"I left the Village of Shadows and headed east towards the Village of Sand. That's when I was found by the Kazekage," she said. "I'm sure he didn't really care about me—his son was with him, Gaara. He was probably too young to remember, but he was there. I was taken back to the village and my wounds were treated. I only saw the Kazekage once more after that, and he gave me an apartment of my own. I was thought to be a boy, and given the name Yassa. I don't even know if it was my original name or not. Over the years, I learned that I had the special ability to absorb objects into my skin and to mend my own bones.

"I also learned that the more I used the trait, the more blood I needed to keep myself going. My own blood thrived off of the blood I absorbed from others," she explained. "When I realized that I had to kill other people, innocent people, to keep myself going, I stopped using the trait, except for in very special occasions when my life was in danger."

She took a second or two before continuing. "I wanted to live, because I was terrified of dying alone like my parents did. I was scared that if anyone found out that I was a survivor of their clan, then I would be killed. For a time, I wanted to find the people who had killed my family, but after a while, I realized what revenge was making me into—a monster, the very thing that had killed my family to begin with.

"No matter how hard it was, I gave up on my dreams of vengeance and tried to live a normal life. A few months ago, I heard about a ninja from the Snow Country called the Perfect Being. The stories said that she could absorb snow and ice into her body and then repel them at her enemy, and that she couldn't be touched by any being. I wondered, of course, because a perfect being is hard to come by. When I heard that that very snow ninja was coming to the Chuunin exams this year, I had to come, too," she said, "So my teammates and I prepared to come here."

"You thought she might be one of your sisters?"

She nodded. "I always felt in the back of my mind that maybe I wasn't really alone. You see, my sisters and I were triplets. If they really are alive, then it would be this year that they would have been chosen to try out for the exams."

"I see," said Neji. "Do you think that Tara and Arcin are your sisters?"

Yassa nodded. "I do."

"But?"

"But…I'm terrified of them," she admitted. "Tara can control her trait without any problems. I've yet to see Arcin use hers, but I think she's probably just as terrifying as Tara."

"So what will you do?"

"I showed my trait to them," she replied. "It's up to them to do the rest." She glanced away, as if she wanted to say more, but couldn't seem to remember the words, or at least the rest of what she had to say.

"What else is there, Yassa?" he asked softly.

She took in a long breath and let it out slowly. "We're triplets, but…I remember there being someone else…I don't know…it just feels like there's something missing."

"Something…missing?"

"Some_one_, more precisely."

"Who?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't feel this _something_…this feeling that there's someone missing. I always thought that if my sisters had survived and I found them, then I wouldn't feel like this anymore…but even now that I've found them…it's like we aren't complete." She looked up at him and smiled. "I suppose it's all the better…after all, it's up to them to make any sort of move towards accepting me as their sister, and if I felt completed with them around, I might be hurt when they don't make any moves."

Neji looked as though he wanted to ask another question, but just then the medics raced into the room.

"Get the Hokage down here," said one quickly and another ran from the room.

Aburame Chiro was lying on a stretcher, his body limp.

Yassa's eyes went wide. "She killed him…"

Neji turned to the door, watching as the Hokage raced into the room. "The matches will continue as scheduled," she was saying to a taller man. It was Chiro's father, and behind him, his brother, Shino. "I can't make everyone wait for the matches that they came to see."

"I understand," replied the man, his eyes falling onto his son. Even though there were glasses hiding his eyes from sight, once could be sure that they held an intense sadness within their depths.

"Shino," Neji said, standing and approaching the boy.

Shino looked over at Neji and nodded once, returning to watching the Hokage work on curing his brother.

Neji placed a hand on the other boys shoulder. "He'll be fine."

Shino just nodded.

After a few moments, the Hokage confirmed the boy's state—Chiro would be fine, but he would need a lot of time to recover.

"The damage to his brain would have been permanent if she had aimed just a fraction to the left," she said. "I managed to repair most of the tissue, but I'm not sure how well he will be able to function. It seems the kunai just scraped the side of his skull…he's very lucky."

Mr. Aburame nodded and took a seat beside his son.

"We're going to move him to the hospital, Sir," said one of the medics. "If you could fill out this paperwork…"

He accepted the paperwork and prepared to fill it out, but paused, "Thank you, Madame Hokage."

Tsunade nodded and smiled. "He should be fine. I will stop in and make sure that everything is proceeding well."

She left, the medics following to retrieve a bed to take the young boy to the hospital by.

Shino glanced back at Neji and they moved to a corner of the room. "If only they had found Hinata in time."

Neji nodded. "Yes."

"Do you know who killed her?"

Neji nodded again.

"Does your uncle know?"

"I've told him, but I'm not sure he believes me," replied Neji. "It's hard to explain."

"Might I ask who killed her?"

"Takura Tara."

Yassa's eyes went wide.

"The same who attempted to kill Chiro," replied Shino.

Neji just nodded, watching as the medics returned with a collapsible bed. They carefully moved Chiro's body onto the bed, and with Mr. Aburame, they left the room to a waiting car.

"I have to go," said Shino.

"I hope he heals well," replied Neji softly.

"Thank you, Neji."

Shino left and Neji stood for a long time looking at the empty doorway.

Yassa looked down at her hands. "Mr. Hyuuga?"

Neji rubbed his eyes and turned to look at her. "I told you, call me Neji."

She smiled up at him, though it was a sad smile. "I will avenge Miss Hyuuga Hinata."

"What?"

"If Tara killed her, then I will kill Tara."

"You didn't want to fight her, I thought."

"That was before I knew she killed someone precious to you."

Neji stared at Yassa for a long time before asking, "Will it hurt you?"

"Most likely."

"She might kill you."

Yassa smiled up at him but didn't say anything more.

"She's your sister."

"The moment she hurt your family, she was not my sister."

Neji nodded. "Just be careful…vengeance isn't a pretty thing to get involved with."

"I am well aware of that."

"I see."

"Who is the next match?"


	19. Part Nineteen: Rock and Snow:

Part Nineteen: Rock and Snow: No Vision vs. Blinding Light

"Begin!"

Talani braced her feet, her eyes focused on Oriki. He was grinning at her, and with a crack of his neck, he let his glasses drop from his face.

She watched as his eyes began to haze over and unfocused.

"I thought I'd just let you know," he said with a chuckle, "I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a girl."

"I would expect as much from you," she replied. Her eyes shifted up to Arcin and back to the boy. _Watch me closely, Arcin. I'll make you proud._

Oriki's shoulders drooped and his eyes became half-lidded. Talani focused her chakra and narrowed her eyes. She would have to find some way of getting around this clown's attacks.

She thought for a moment, wondering how it was that he controlled the chakra. A few seconds later, however, she found herself being tightly held onto by a hand made of his energy.

"You stand still too long, chika. It's boring, no offense…" Oriki said with a sigh. "Oh well, I suppose you're not as strong as every gives you credit for being."

Talani grinned. "You shouldn't underestimate me." Her eyes followed his carefully. Of course, it was obvious that he was controlling the chakra through his eyes, so the solution to her problem was simple—take out his sight, and he had no more abilities.

The problem was this: Even if she could escape his attack, she would have to worry about taking his sight out, and she guessed that he had some extra chakra around his eyes for protection. Or, at least he might if he was smart.

She wondered just how smart he really was.

Oriki squeezed the hand of chakra, smoke appearing and a log appearing in the stead of the girl's body.

"Replacement?" he murmured, looking around the arena for her. The hand lowered close to the ground as he searched. Unfortunately his eyes weren't as sharp as the Byakugan or the Sharingan. He could see and mold chakra, but he couldn't see far, and he couldn't focus on tangible objects other than his chakra and the chakra of another being within his field of vision.

If she was hiding behind a tree or a bush, she was out of his sight and therefore out of his range.

Talani smirked as she leaned against the tree. She was standing on a branch, thinking over her next move.

_So, just as I thought, he can't see normal attacks and defenses. _She glanced around the tree at him. _I wonder how good his sight really is…_

She squatted down and formed her hands into a steeple before her, thinking.

Shikamaru smirked and crossed his arms. _A thinker against someone like this? The match'll be over before they know it…_

He looked up at the stands, his eyes falling onto Arcin and Tara. _Then again…that Tara's pretty ingenious, too. I wouldn't doubt her teammates for a moment if I didn't know Arcin like I do._

He looked back to the match.

Talani smirked and opened her eyes. She had just the thing, and if executed at just the right moment, she might be able to blind the boy for good.

She stood up and began to form hand signs, focusing her chakra. She pressed her hands against the tree branch.

"_Elemental Summoning: Frozen Ground Jutsu!_"

From the branches of the tree and the ground below it came water, and when the water hit the surface, it began to freeze over, snow forming.

Soon the entire arena was covered in white, glittering snow.

Talani smirked as she looked up at the sky. The sun was getting low, but it was still high enough to do some damage.

Another hand sign: "_Elemental Summoning: Golden Sunray Jutsu!_"

The name was corny, but it would work well.

She positioned herself, watching as the sun began to burn brighter, if even for a second and launched into the air just as Oriki lifted his hands to shield his eyes.

She landed on top of him and shoved his hands aside, the sunlight dimming down and her body becoming visible once more.

She aimed to cut his eyes out, but Oriki just laughed.

Talani was grabbed around the hips and dragged away from him. He stood up, brushing himself off.

"Should have kept the light going a little longer," he said. He knelt down and picked his glasses up from the melting snow. "It's over."

Talani gasped as she felt the hand tighten around her body. Unable to move, she looked over at the proctor. She didn't want to die!

"The match is over," Shikamaru said, landing in the arena. "The winner is Yakara Oriki."

Oriki put his glasses back on, his eyes refocusing. He sighed. "I never get to have any fun…"

The hand around Talani let her go and she fell into the mud.

Shikamaru sighed and watched as the two left the arena. At least this time, no one had died…

"The next match is Arcin and Akio Rena," he said.

Arcin dropped from the competitor's box and landed before Talani.

Talani froze, wondering what she was going to do to her.

Arcin approached her and said calmly, "Your move was good, just not good enough."

Talani nodded. "I'm sorry."

Arcin just walked passed her and to the center of the arena.

"Arcin!" Talani shouted, turning around.

"Hmm?"

"Good luck," replied the other girl.

Arcin smirked and replied, "This girl's a piece."

Talani nodded.

"The Snow Country would be proud," said Arcin, waving her hand as she walked away, "to keep a ninja like you."

Talani smiled. She had never received a compliment from Arcin before and liked to think that maybe it was something she had done, but she knew in her heart that Arcin was looking forward to proving to Tara and Yassa that she was just as strong as they were.

After all, she was the Perfect Being.

Talani left the arena.

"Ready for an ass-whooping?" asked Rena, adjusting her headband. "Cuz it's coming your way!"

Arcin just smirked. She glanced at Shikamaru. "You know this match is over the second it starts, right, proctor?"

He just shrugged. "Are you both ready?"

"Duh!" shouted Rena and Arcin.

Shikamaru sighed. "Begin."

Arcin looked at Rena. "You can have the first move."

"What kind of a game are you playing, fool?"

"The first move is cursed."

"Whatever," replied Rena. "I'm gonna wipe your face in the mud!" She adjusted her stance.

Arcin grinned, seating her weight on her knees and legs. "Bring it on."


	20. Part Twenty: ANBU Loyalties

Part Twenty: ANBU Loyalties

"Is he alright?"

Kankurou looked up to see an ANBU special ops looking down at them from behind one of their masks.

"I think so, he just fainted, that's all," replied Kankurou.

"Odd," replied the ANBU. "He's Gaara of the Desert, yes?"

"Yeah."

"I never thought he would faint from the sight of blood," she murmured. She looked down at the arena where the match between Oriki and Talani was occurring.

Kankurou frowned. "How do you know about him?"

"It's not like it's that much of a secret, who he is," she replied. "Besides, the only reason the two of you are here is because of the exams, isn't it?"

Kankurou nodded.

"I thought as much," she replied. "Well, the two of you can't keep an eye out for Orochimaru when the stronger of the two of you is unconscious."

"He'll wake up soon," replied Kankurou.

The ANBU slipped into the seat beside Gaara and took him into her arms. She placed her hands over his forehead and ran her chakra over his face. "He'll wake up…now."

His eyes slowly opened.

"He should get some rest," she said.

"Tara…?" murmured Gaara, looking up at the ANBU. "Tara, what…?"

"I'm not Tara," replied the ANBU softly, though she seemed slightly taken aback by his mistake. She looked back up to Kankurou. "Make sure he gets some water and sleep tonight."

"He's an insomniac," replied Kankurou. "Can't sleep."

"Rest, then."

Kankurou nodded watching as she stood up and left them. He turned to his friend. "What's wrong, Gaara? Why'd you pass out like that?"

Gaara held his head and closed his eyes. "Tara…when she killed that boy…she sent me this vibe…"

"Vibe?"

"The other night, I found her trying to commit suicide. She wanted me to kill her," replied Gaara. "She sent me that vibe to try and persuade me…she wants to know what it's like to die…she wants some meaning to life…"

"I-I see," murmured Kankurou, watching as the twin captured Talani and Shikamru stopped the match. His eyes lifted to where Tara was standing in the competitor's box. "Do you think you can kill her?"

"I don't want to try," replied Gaara softly.

Kankurou just frowned.

"That's what the boy said," said the ANBU into a wireless.

"_Hmm…interesting…keep an eye on her. She might become of interest…_"

"I thought he already had the perfect body?"

"_You can never be too careful. After all, there is no guarantee that the Uchiha will come back from his revenge alive. Itiachi is very powerful._"

"I see."

"_Master Orochimaru admires their power, but I don't think he was aware that one of them still lived._"

"Three, that I know of"

"_Are you certain?_"

"Yes. All three of the Takura triplets survived the ravage of their home and the murder of their parents."

"_Is there any chance that she survived, too?_"

"I'm not sure," replied the ANBU.

"_If she did, we're going to have to be careful. You said it was Tara who wanted to die?_"

"Yes."

"_If Tara's as strong as you say, then there's no certainty in how strong _she_ is._"

"I see."

"_Keep an eye and ear out,_" he replied. "_We will send someone when the time is right._"

"Three years might be a little too long to wait."

"_It's already been a year since Master Orochimaru has changed bodies, and so only two more until the Uchiha is available._"

"You despise him, don't you?"

"_He takes Master Orochimaru's powers too swiftly and without thanks. I have a feeling he will find himself dead from power within the next two years. That's why I ask you to keep an eye on this Tara character._"

"I will," they disconnected and the ANBU launched into the air, landing on the roof of the stands, her eyes focused on the two new competitors entering the arena. Takura Arcin and Akio Rena.

There would be little the Akio girl could do to Arcin.


	21. Part TwentyOne: Takura Arcin:

Part Twenty-One: Takura Arcin: I can shine, too!

Neji helped Yassa into a seat as the next match began.

"Just in time," he said softly.

She nodded.

Arcin was waiting for Rena to make her move, but the other girl was just standing there, as if she were trying to find a bead of sweat on Arcin's face.

A hand of wood erupted from the ground, aiming to grab Arcin around her ankles.

Arcin launched into the air, more of the hands following her into the air. She began to use them to jump higher, trying to get away from them as fast as possible. She turned and looked at Rena, who was laughing.

A hand sign: "_Wood Element: Snaring Coffin Jutsu!_"

Arcin grabbed some kunai from her pouch and shot them at the wood as it came for her, wrapping in the air where she had been a second before. She jumped from one branch to the next, finally landing on the ground meters away from the branches.

Rena lifted her hands and aimed her fingers at Arcin, the branches lifting and churning towards her.

She jumped into the air as they launched after her, attempting to grab her and choke her to death.

She landed on the wall of the arena, her body sliding up it. She turned and began to run, the chakra focused in her feet.

_Too bad,_ thought Shikamaru. _She can't beat this…this is impossible…_

The branches erupted out of the wall, grabbing Arcin around the ankles. She tripped and smashed into the wall, more of the branches winding around her, pulling her into the stone, her bones breaking from the force.

Arcin winced and screamed in pain.

The darkness was all around her, and for a long moment, she couldn't breathe. She felt her fingers lower towards her pocket, and she felt with her fingertips the last piece Shikamaru had moved during their game of Shogi.

Tara watched with interest as the Rena girl began to crush the Arcin girl. She found herself wishing that she was inside of the bind of branches instead of the other girl. But, then again…another death wasn't such a bad thought.

Rena lowered her hand, her body trembling. She had never had to chase someone down that long and hard before.

She stood up, sweat rolling down her body. She flung her hair from her face, watching as the branches entered the ground, Arcin's body falling from the great height at which she had been captured.

Rena grinned and began to laugh. "I…I did it! I did it! I won!"

Shikamaru watched Arcin intensely, as if waiting for her to move. He sighed and began to lift his hand to call the match.

"D-don't you dare," Arcin hissed.

Shikamaru paused and smirked. He lowered his arm.

"What?!" screamed Rena, watching as Arcin slowly pushed herself up from the ground.

Her bones were rearranging themselves, straightening out with sickening crunches and snaps.

Tara's eyes widened, and across the arena, Yassa smiled.

Arcin stood up, her legs crunching back together, the bones mending.

"What the fuck is this?!" screamed Rena. "What the hell are you?!"

Arcin laughed and pushed her bangs away from her eyes. She was holding the Shogi piece tightly in her hand, her eyes determined. She adjusted her footing and said, "I am the perfect being. I am superior. You can't kill me. Give in, or die."

Rena narrowed her eyes and adjusted her footing as well. "Like hell I will."

"I was hoping you'd say that," she replied with a chuckle. She looked up into the box, her eyes meeting Tara's. "I'm here, too. I can shine, just like you and that girl from Sand. I'm here, too, and I matter."

She looked back to Rena. The girl was exhausted.

Arcin closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She felt her body lurch as shuriken and kunai smashed into her. Well, at least the girl wasn't going to give up, but thanks to her, now Arcin had some means by which to fight.

Arcin opened her eyes and grinned as her skin wound around the weapons, dragging them into her body.

"What the fuck…?" whispered Rena, her eyes going wide. She recognized that…the way the girl's body absorbed her attacks. "You're…you're one of them…you…"

Arcin ran towards Rena, the shuriken and the kunai shooting from her body, pinning the other girl to the wall of the arena. She grabbed her own shuriken and kunai from her thigh pouch and pinned Rena's hands to the arena wall so that she couldn't make hand signs.

She turned and looked at Shikamaru, the Shogi piece still in her hand. She looked back to Rena. "I won't kill you—I'm not that kind of person. I'll let you choose again—quit, or die."

"I-I quit!" shouted Rena. "I give in! I give in!"

Shikamaru nodded and lifted his hand into the air. "Akio Rena forfeits. The match goes to Arcin."

The stadium was completely silent as Arcin left.

After all, three girls with the same Bloodline Trait had appeared from three different villages. For this to happen, there was little doubt in their minds that more was yet to come.


	22. Part TwentyTwo: On the Move

Part Twenty-Two: On the Move

"Alright folks," said Shikamaru. "That's it for the first round. The remaining rounds will take place tomorrow! Please exit the stadium in an orderly manner, and we'll see you then!"

People began to get up and leave as he and the other Chuunin and Jounin guided them through the exits.

"What a day," murmured Sakura as she and Naruto left. She looked around. "I wonder where Neji went?"

"I dunno," replied Naruto. His stomach gave off a growl. "But we should hurry."

"Hurry where?"

"Ramen!" he shouted. "If we hurry, we can beat Arcin! Come on!" He grabbed Sakura's hand and the two of them ran through the crowd.

"Naruto, slow down!" shouted Shikmaru as he and Sakura ran by the Chuunin.

"No way! Ramen time!"

Shikamaru sighed.

Once the stadium had emptied out, Shikamaru wandered over to the competitor's box. He remembered having been there the previous year, looking down at the ring below, waiting for his own turn.

Yet, in last years exams, no one had died; at least, not in the third exam.

"I can't wait for tomorrow."

He turned and smirked when he saw Arcin. "Yeah, I guess."

She approached him and leaned against the rail. "I think it will be very interesting."

"Your match is against the Yakara twin, right?"

"Oriki," she replied.

"Do you think you'll win?"

"Maybe. That teammate of his has the same skills as I do," she replied. "He might know how to counter-attack and defend himself against it. He also can manipulate his chakra better than I can."

"If you win that match, you have to worry about fighting one of the others, too," added Shikamaru softly. "It's not the match itself—it's also the matches after it."

She nodded.

"What about the other two? How do you think they'll fare?"

"I think Tara will win. She'll probably kill Raga like she killed that Aburame kid," replied Arcin softly.

"You don't approve of killing?"

"I don't like to," she replied. "Mostly for myself, though. When I kill, or use my Bloodline Limit, I have to replenish the blood I use. I have to kill and take the blood of someone else. That's why Tara took the Aburame's blood today, I think. She's too far in and has to constantly kill to stay alive…or at least, I think that's how it works. Maybe she doesn't have control over it. It may just happen without her wanting it to."

"Who are you going to kill, since you used it today?"

"A squirrel or a rabbit, probably," laughed Arcin. "I try not to kill people, because then they label me without knowing why I had to do it."

He nodded. Strangely enough, he didn't find himself grossed out or despising her by this. It wasn't her fault she had been born with such a trait. "What do you know about the two of them?"

"Not much," she replied with a shrug. "I think…I think they're my sister's."

"What do you mean?"

"My parents were killed when I was little," she replied. "Our village murdered them, from fear of their traits. I escaped, but just barely, and when I went back to see if anyone had survived, no one was there. I had two sisters my age. We were triplets," she said. "We were really close, but all this time…I thought they had died…" She looked away, not sure whether to be sad or not. "It's really strange to see how we've grown. That one…Yassa, was it? I thought she was a boy when she talked to me before the second exam." She smiled. "She showed a lot of guts today, by revealing that she was a girl and not a boy, and by using those moves to defeat the Hyuuga. I think out of the three of us, she's grown the most."

Shikamaru nodded. "What about Tara?"

Arcin's hands tightened around the rail. "She scares me, but at the same time…I admire her. She can prove that she exists. She can make people see her, demand their attention so violently that they have to respect her from fear."

"Do you want that?"

"No, but I do want to be here," she said. "I want to prove that I matter like she does. Like Yassa does. They both matter. I've always been a weapon. I can't do anything for myself anymore. I'm only here because my country wants me to represent us, and show that we're a power to be reckoned with. They want to be recognized as existing."

Shikamaru leaned against the rail and sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that your family was murdered."

She smiled. "It's fine. I don't really remember Mother or Father, and I'm glad to see that my sisters have somehow survived, if it was only two of them and myself."

"Two of them?" he asked.

She lifted the Shogi piece and looked it over. "The first move is always cursed, and the last move is always a curse set on the other person."

"Tara!"

Tara turned around, her eyes catching onto another.

It was Yassa. She was leaning against Neji. "Why'd you do it? Why'd you kill them?"

Tara turned around and walked away.

"It's fine, Yassa," murmured Neji. "You'll be able to fight her tomorrow."

"Tara, talk to me," said Yassa.

Tara stopped, listening.

"I know that Mother and Father's death…it wasn't what we wanted, but now we can be a family again," she said.

Neji looked shocked. He had expected Yassa not to bring this up, but she had. How odd that she would change her mind so suddenly.

"You, me, and Arcin," she said. "We can be like we were when we were little. Remember during the summer? How we picked apples and ate them? How we made them into juice and drank it? How sweet it was?"

Tara started to walk away.

"TARA!" shouted Yassa. "Don't walk away from this! We've been given a chance to have a family again! Don't leave it behind! Don't let the hate devour you!"

Tara stopped again and turned to look at Yassa. "You know nothing of hate."

"Please, Tara," she murmured. "I know it hurts, but we can—"

"You think this is still about Mother and Father. You think that I care enough about them to care about their deaths still. You are mistaken," she said. "I stopped caring about their deaths years ago."

"No…you didn't," said Yassa. "I can feel—"

"I accepted the fact that my family died a long time ago," she replied. "And I moved on."

"But we didn't! Arcin and I—we're here! We're alive, Tara! We're—"

"My family died a long time ago."

"We're alive!"

"I don't have a family," she said coldly and with that, she walked away.

Yassa felt her knees go weak. She hadn't expected it to hurt so much when Tara refused to admit that she was still alive.

"Tara, please!"

Tara was gone.

"TARA!"

Neji helped Yassa onto a bench. "I can't tell you that everything will be fine, because it won't."

Yassa looked down at her hands, her eyes wide.

"Yassa…"

She closed her eyes, tears rolling down her face.

"She didn't mean what she—"

"She's right," whispered Yassa. "She's right. Mother and Father aren't coming back, and she and Arcin aren't like they were when we were kids." Her hands clenched into fists, her chakra level rising. "Those summers…those times…they're never coming back. I need to accept that."

Neji placed his hand on her shoulder, but she gently pushed it away. She looked up at him. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Hyuuga. I realize now what it is I must do."

She stood up, her legs shaky, but stabilizing within seconds.

"You're still too weak to do anything, you'll get—"

"Like I said, my body does what it wants when it wants," she smiled at him and wiped her eyes. "Besides, if I'm going to fight her tomorrow, I need to be stronger than she is."

"What about Arcin?"

"She would agree with Tara," replied Yassa. She looked the way Tara had gone. "It's been too long for us. Even as triplets, we have nothing in common anymore."

"Wait—before you go, you told me about someone else missing," Neji said. "Who is it?"

Yassa placed her hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Hyuuga, you must realize…times have changed, and even if that person is still alive, if they have not searched us out, then they do not wish to be with us."

"Who is it?"

Yassa looked again to where Tara had gone. "I think it's best if I walk you home. Let's go."

The two of them headed back down the path.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Some things shouldn't be said twice," she replied.

The ANBU special ops crouched in a tree, her eyes watching as Yassa and Neji walked back down the road towards the center of the village.

"_Well?_"

"She can stand again," replied the ANBU. "It's very interesting…"

"_What is?_"

"I think these three might be stronger than she is."

"_How can that be? She's impossible._"

"She's also been missing for years. For all we know, she's dead."

"_He doesn't think so._"

"He's hoping on a fraud dream," she replied.

"_So you really think that they're stronger?_"

"I'm sure of it. The Sand-adopted one can already walk again after all of her chakra points were closed."

"_Maybe the Hyuuga boy reopened them. You said he's been with her all day._"

"She couldn't walk on her own when she arrived."

"_What about Tara?_"

"She's strong, but it's the lust for death that drives her."

"_Arcin?_"

"Strong, but too soft. She just wants to be recognized."

"_Which one do you think is best?_"

"Tara would be the easiest, but Yassa's the strongest of them. If he wants any of them, I would suggest that he take Yassa."

"_If Tara's powers are further developed, then he wants her._"

"That will be his undoing," she replied. "Even if Tara is further along in development, Yassa's strength is still in its infancy and could be much more than her sisters."

"_Even more so than hers?_"

"We've been through this—yes."

"_If she's sided so strongly with the Hyuuga, she won't be easy to convince._"

"So take the ones she cares most about."

"_The Hyuuga?_"

"Maybe. But I have a feeling that she still has strong bonds with Tara and Arcin."

"_So take them both, then?_"

"Start with Tara, and use her to capture Arcin. Arcin won't be hard to turn—just make sure he tells her what she needs to do to be worth anything."

"_I'm sure he knows on his own._"

"Of course, forgive me."

"_And then?_"

"And then she will go after them," she paused, thinking. "Take the Hyuuga, too, just in case."

"_Get on it, then._"

"As you wish."

They disconnected.

Neji stopped in front of the Hyuuga household gates. He looked at Yassa. "Don't stay up too late, okay?"

She smiled. "I don't plan to. If I meditate and control my chakra, I think things will work out for the best tomorrow."

He nodded and stopped her before she turned to leave. "Yassa, please…don't fight her because of my family. Do it because you want to."

"Mr. Hyuuga, I already told you, I will avenge Miss Hyuuga. I won't let Tara get away with something like this, even if she and I share the same parents and the same childhood," she smiled.

"And I told you," he said, pulling her closer, "Call me Neji."

Yassa laughed softly. "If I win tomorrow, then I will call you by your first name, Mr. Hyuuga."

"Then do this for me," he said.

"What?"

"Take my blood."

"What?!"

"You're fighting against that boy tomorrow, one of the twins. You'll need to be able to see his chakra to defend yourself, and my Byakugan is the only way you'll be able to see it."

"I can't…"

"I want you to."

"I-I've never taken anyone's blood before. I don't know how much, or if you need to die…"

"A pint, and no, I don't need to die."

"But, Mr. Hyuuga—"

He pressed his lips to her forehead, lifting his arm to hers. "I would prefer it if you called me by my first name now."

Yassa lifted her free hand and touched her forehead where he had kissed her. She hadn't been touched like that since her Mother had kissed her good-night on the eve of their murder.

"As you wish, Neji."

They stood for a few moments, and Neji closed his eyes as he felt the blood drain from his body and onto her arm.

He smiled and opened his eyes. "Good night, Yassa."

"Good night, then, Neji."

He let go of her wrist and entered the Hyuuga compound, shutting the door behind him.

Yassa smiled, shook her head, and left, reaching up to touch her forehead again.


	23. Part TwentyThree: Bonded

Part Twenty-Three: Bonded

Gaara leaned against the wall his bed was pressed up against. He was looking out the window, thinking. The ANBU op that had awakened him that day…

Why had he thought she was Tara?

He touched his forehead, thinking. She had smelled familiar, and her touch had been soft. There was something about her that rang the bell of familiarity.

And if she hadn't been Tara, who had she been?

Gaara left the bed and walked over to the window, looking outside. He needed to find Tara and talk to her. Maybe he could convince her not to try and kill herself, or to kill anyone else, for that matter.

He opened the window and jumped outside, his gourd he left in his room.

The ANBU op watched as Gaara leapt from rooftop to rooftop. She frowned and followed him silently.

A few moments later, they had arrived before the apartment where the Rock trio was staying.

Gaara approached the window into the bathroom that had been broken and entered the apartment that way.

The ANBU clasped her hands in front of her face. "_Sharingan!_" She opened her eyes and looked through the walls of the apartment building, watching as Gaara walked through the hallways and into one of the rooms.

He left it, and when the ANBU focused, she noted that it was the room of one of the twins. After he had tried a third room, Gaara finally entered the kitchen, where Tara was seated.

The ANBU lowered herself into a more comfortable position and watched as he approached her.

"Tara?"

Tara jumped, her cup jolting in her hand, tea splashing everywhere. She had been trying to stay awake. "Holy fuck, don't do that, Gaara…" She rubbed her eyes and took a deep drink from the cup.

Gaara sat down across from her.

"What do you want?" she asked bitterly.

"To tell you to go to bed," he said. "You need to sleep if you're going to do well tomorrow."

"What do you care?"

"I find myself caring a lot, actually," he replied softly. "Now come on, I'll help you to bed."

She laughed. "People don't touch me."

"Why not?"

"Weird shit happens," she murmured. She sounded drunk, but he was sure it was just exhaustion.

"Tara, you can't win if you don't sleep."

"I don't care about winning," she replied. "I just want to die. I thought we'd been through this."

Gaara sighed. He got up and made himself some tea, too. He could tell it was going to be a long night, and preferred not to go without something to drink.

He sat back down as the tea seeped into the hot water. "What's on your mind, Tara?"

"Nothing."

"There's something," he replied. "Two of the girls at the competition had the same Bloodline Limit as you do. I thought you were the only one with it?"

She looked up at him. "I thought they were dead. They're my sisters. We're triplets."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"I bet they're happy to see you," he mused. "If I'd known Yassa was that strong, I think she would have come with us last year instead of Temari or Kankurou."

Tara looked down at her cup. "Temari's dead."

"I know."

"Do you feel sad that she's gone?"

"Yes, but I realize that you need my help more."

"You should kill me for what I've done."

"I won't."

She looked up at him. "If you don't kill me, then I'll just find someone else. Someone who's stronger than I am."

"Tara, no one exists who can kill you."

"There is someone."

"Who?"

She looked out the window, and then rubbed her head, leaning her head against her hands. She was very tired, obviously not having slept at all over the past month she had been in Konoha.

"You'll fall asleep before you die of exhaustion," Gaara pointed out.

She glowered up at him through her fingers. "I have to fight that Raga kid from the Sand village. How do I beat him?"

"Sleep, for one," he replied. "Other than that, you should be fine."

"And then that Yassa," she muttered. "Damn her to hell."

"I thought she was your sister?"

"It doesn't mean that I love her."

"Who do you love?"

"No one."

"What about yourself?"

"If I loved myself, I wouldn't want to die."

He nodded. She made sense, at least. He took a drink of the tea and closed his eyes, thinking. "You should give them a chance. People aren't that bad."

"Shut up," she muttered. "You don't know anything."

Gaara looked over at her. "I know a lot more than you might think."

She glared at him and grabbed her tea. She took a long drink. "You know nothing."

"My uncle told me he loved me when I was six, and then he was ordered to assassinate me. I killed him, and before he died, he said he'd gone on the mission willingly," Gaara said. "My father made me what I was, and then he tried to kill me. I was a tool for my village to use to regain its status in the world."

"Yeah, what a tool," she said. "Can't even do your fucking job."

"What?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Konoha and the Rock Village are old enemies. I'm amazed they let us pass through their gates after what you morons tried to pull last year."

"But you're not going to try anything."

She shook her head. "Even if we were, we couldn't do anything effective. Our village is weak."

"Is that where you really come from? I mean, after all, your sisters are from very different villages."

"I'm from the Land of Winds," she muttered. "The Hidden Shadow Village."

Gaara's eyes went wide. "That village…no one knows where it is, though…I didn't even know it really existed."

"No shit."

"How did you end up in the Rock Village?"

"My parents were drowned by the villagers," she said, "and my house was destroyed. My sisters and I escaped, but just barely. I remember they left me alone, and it was because we got split up that I was certain they were dead. Triplets…we never left each others sides," she muttered. "I didn't even bother to check our house to see if they'd gone back."

"Why not?"

"Siblings don't leave each other like that," she muttered. "After we were separated, I left the Wind Country. I wanted to get away, I guess. I wanted to see my limit, what I could do in a day. No matter how many times someone tried to mug me or kill me, I always lived, even if I did nothing." She took another drink of her tea.

"After a while, I just stopped trying to fight back. I made it to the Rock Village, and that was where I met the Yakara twins. They followed me around, and I guess they reminded me of my sisters and I, so when we entered the academy, we trained together. They were the only one's who could dodge my attack and do any damage, but they're like you—they refuse to give me the one thing I want more than anything in the world."

"They refused to kill you."

She nodded.

"Why do you want to die so badly?"

"Loneliness can't be escaped," she said calmly, "no matter how many people you meet in your life. It can't be helped; the emptiness that appeared after my family was killed."

"But your sisters are still alive," he replied.

"They aren't my sisters," she replied. "My sisters would never have left me to die. My sisters would have stayed beside me until death. They wouldn't have left me alone."

"Is that why you hate Yassa?"

"I hate them all."

"All?"

"Arcin left me for the Snow Country, Yassa stayed in the Wind Country, and…" she grabbed her head and leaned against the table, her eyes shut tightly. "It's all her fault…"

"Whose?"

Tara stood up, the table rattling from her legs hitting it. "Get out!"

"What?"

She grabbed Gaara by the arm and shoved him from his chair. "GET OUT!"

Gaara stumbled over towards the window. He righted himself and stood carefully, his eyes following her.

"Get out of here!" she screamed. "Get away from me!"

He approached her carefully. "Tara, I can help—"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed.

He touched her on the shoulder, and suddenly where he had touched her, her skin split apart and blood began to run down her arm.

It landed on the floor and began to shift around, a body forming.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! GO AWAY! GET OUT!" she screamed, holding her head tightly. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Tara, what's going on?" he asked, backing away from the blood-like being.

It slung its hand at him, its arm stretching and its fingers wrapping around his neck. It lifted him from the ground and looked at him curiously.

He grabbed the blood with his hands, but they just slipped through.

"Interesting," murmured the ANBU. "So Tara can make Blood Clones…but they aren't complete…what a pity…"

"T-Tara…" he rasped.

Tara lifted her head, her hands lowering slowly from her scalp. She looked up at him, and then to the blood clone, and then she promptly passed out.

The clone melted into the floor, Gaara being lowered onto the carpet as the clone disintegrated from Tara's unconscious state.

He got to his feet and carefully stumbled over to her. He checked her pulse. It was there. From all of the blood she had absorbed lately, she appeared to be fine.

He looked back over to the giant blood stain on her carpet, wondering what had provoked the clone.

He touched her skin again and pulled away, watching as blood drooled down her arm where he had touched her.

_So,_ he thought, _in states of extreme exhaustion, her body becomes weak and if she's even touched, she starts to bleed. That's what she was trying to do…make herself weak enough to die if she was touched by even something as soft as skin._

He walked over to the window and summoned some sand into the room. It surrounded her, cradling her body and lifting her into the air.

Gaara moved her from the dining room outside of the kitchen and into the third bedroom. He turned down the blankets and lowered her body carefully into the bed, dismissing the sand.

Silently he closed the door, set the alarm, and sat down in a chair beside the bed. It was going to be a long night.

The ANBU op leaned back on her arms, looking up into the sky and thinking. If Tara was already able to make Blood Clones, then maybe she had been wrong about Yassa. Blood Clones were a last resort for the Takura's Bloodline Limit; they were usually mastered after ten or fifteen years of hard training, and for a Tara to have made one without even thinking…

It was impossible.

The only other person alive who could make a Blood Clone on demand was the girl that even Orochimaru couldn't manage to get, and no one even knew if she really _was_ alive.

After all, to break her own family bonds as she had and turn her village against her family…it was something only the Uchiha's had heard of before, and this betrayal had happened long before that of Uchiha Itachi.

The ANBU ran her fingers through her black hair, wondering what _had_ happened to the fourth girl.

She had been missing for nearly five years.

Even the Shadow Village, who had sent Shinobi to find her, had failed in their search.

It was as if she no longer existed.

"What a pity," she murmured. She looked back to the apartment, her mind still running. Suddenly her eyes widened. "I see…so that's your plan, Master Orochimaru…what genius has come to you in your old age…" she smirked. "But even now, I doubt she cares about them that much."

She stood up and jumped away, returning to her own apartment for the night.


	24. Part TwentyFour: The Ghost of

Part Twenty-Four: The Ghost of Christmas Past (Guess what Night I Wrote this on)

"Well, amazingly enough, all of you are on time, again," said Shikamaru as the stadium began to fill with the spectators. "From the twelve of you that competed yesterday, there are now six of you. There will be three matches to begin with and then two more. Everyone understand?"

They nodded.

The ones who remained were Yakara Oriki, Yakara Ariki, Takura Tara, Takura Arcin, Takura Yassa, and Makiro Raga.

Raga sighed. He had to fight Tara first, after Yassa and Ariki fought.

He looked up at the people who were waiting for a fight.

He had to give it his all today, since he and Yassa were the only ones left. If he could get Tara out of the standings, then he could just forfeit to Yassa and let her fight against whoever won the third match.

"The first match is going to be between Yassa and Yakara Ariki," said Shikamaru. "Everyone else, you know the drill. Go and wait in the competitor's box."

They left Yassa and Ariki in the arena.

"Neji?"

Neji looked over at Sakura and smiled. "Good morning, Sakura, Naruto."

"How's Hinabi?" asked Sakura, sitting beside him.

"She's doing well," he replied, sitting down. "She was upset, but otherwise, she's fine."

"I saw you walking with Yassa yesterday," said Naruto, leaning forward. "Aren't you mad at her for beating up Hinabi like that?"

"No," replied Neji. "She gave me a good explanation and I forgave her."

"Hm…" Naruto looked back out to the arena as Ariki and Yassa prepared for battle. "Who do you think's going to win?"

"Yassa, of course," said Sakura. "She's strong."

"Yeah, but that twin has some kickass moves of his own," said Naruto. "I think he's going to win. What d'you think, Neji?"

Neji lifted and lowered a shoulder and leaned forward.

He blinked, a black cape catching his eyes. He glanced to the left and watched as a figure sat at the end of their bench.

He frowned, but returned his attention to the match below.


	25. Part TwentyFive: Vision Impaired

Part Twenty-Five: Vision Impaired

"Begin!"

Yassa let her feet slide into position.

Ariki sniggered. "You're just like Tara, so if I don't throw anything at you, then you can't go on the offensive. You're primarily defensive."

Yassa frowned. This boy knew her trait inside and out—probably better than she did, since he trained with Tara.

He pulled his glasses from his face, lowering his arm and letting them drop to the ground. "This is going to be difficult, I have no doubt about that, since you can't be crushed. But I think I can find a way around that."

Yassa steeped her hands before her face and concentrated her chakra. She had never done anything like this before, and could only pray that it would work.

"Neji, you're hurt," Sakura gasped, placing her hand on Neji's arm gently. "Do you need to go to the medics?"

Neji just smiled. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

She looked back to the match, her brow furrowed. Why was Neji so calm about such a large wound?

Yassa opened her eyes and said, "_Byakugan!_"

She watched as a hand of chakra came at her. The twin didn't waste any time, at least.

She jumped into the air, but the chakra merely followed her.

Yassa landed and raised her hands. Somehow, she just knew how to move. She had never felt so fluid before in her life.

_This must be what addicted Tara,_ she thought. _I must be careful._

She focused her chakra to the palms of her hands and began to rotate. "_Hakkeshou Kaiten!_"

Ariki's eyes went wide as his chakra hand was deflected. "How the fuck…?" he looked up at Tara, who was also watching with uncertain eyes. As far as she knew, only _one_ Hyuuga had died, and she had been the one to kill her.

"I'm the one you should be looking at!" screamed Yassa as she shot forwards, driving her fist into Ariki's face.

He flew backwards, into the ground. She raced at him, her eyes helping her to avoid the chakra that he sent at her. She launched herself into the air, diving down above him, her arm stretched out before her.

She hit hard on a hand made of chakra that Ariki had whipped up above himself for protection.

He uncovered his eyes and began to laugh shakily. "Damn, woman, that was _close_. You almost got me!"

She smirked and grabbed a kunai from her thigh. She aimed to stab him, but another hand grabbed her by the wrist.

She was lifted up and flung into the wall behind Ariki as he stood up.

He looked over at her, his eyes glazed over, and he grinned. "Not so tough now, are we?"

She stood up, her broken shoulder resetting itself.

Yassa set her feet firmly into the ground. He was feeling cocky, if he had let her go before. She frowned and dodged one of the chakra hands, glancing behind herself to make sure that she didn't land in any traps before she landed.

She couldn't get close enough to him to do any physical damage. Unfortunately unless he threw kunai or shuriken at her, she had no way to fight him from a distance, and even if she could, he would just deflect her attacks.

Yassa jumped into the air and retreated into the trees to think. She had plenty of attacks; it was just using them in the right order and at the right time.

She knew as well as anyone that chakra could be an ultimate defense, and the fact that the twin could use it as an offense as well…

This was not good.

She squatted and closed her eyes, thinking as fast as she could. No doubt the twin would find her soon, and then she would be done for if she didn't have a plan.

"Neji," murmured Sakura. "Did you…?"

He was so focused on the match that he didn't hear Sakura's words.

"Is she a Hyuuga?" the girl at the end of the bench asked, her eyebrows raised in shock. "I thought that the Hyuuga was eliminated."

"No, she's not," replied Sakura. "In fact, I don't know what her surname is…I think it's Takura, but I can't be sure…"

"Takura," murmured the girl. "I thought the Takura wasn't supposed to fight until the next round?"

"This is a different Takura," explained Sakura. "Apparently there are three of them."

"Three?"

"Yeah."

Naruto frowned. "Hey, Sakura, how'd she get the Byakugan?"

"Naruto, you're so dense," Sakura muttered.

"I, too, am curious," said the young woman. "I was not present yesterday, and missed the first six matches. I would very much appreciate it if you could explain this to me, Miss."

Neji's eyes widened and shifted over to the young woman. The way she spoke…it was so familiar.

The lower half of her face was hidden behind a heavy wrapping of bandages, and her brown hair was forced down on the top of her scalp by more bandages. The rest of it flowed from behind, ending in a loose pony tail.

She wasn't dressed in a black cape, as he had before thought. The neck of her shirt was high, covering her chin and mouth, and she was dressed completely in black, aside from the bandages on her arms and legs and face.

She was a ninja, he had no doubt about that, but nowhere on her body was a headband or any sign of her village.

"If I'm right," Sakura said, her eyes shifting over to Neji, "Neji gave her some of his blood. Her Bloodline Limit, along with the other two girls', allows them to absorb a pint of another ninja's blood and learn their jutsu's. Since Neji is a Hyuuga, she absorbed his Bloodline Limit, his Byakugan, as well, and can use that to see the boy's chakra." Sakura looked over at Neji. "Am I right?"

He nodded and retuned his attention to the match at hand.

"Very interesting," murmured the girl. "Very interesting, indeed."

Yassa opened her eyes, finally knowing what she had to do. She stood up and turned to the trunk of the tree. She focused her energy and the Byakugan saw through the trunk of the tree.

She could see the boy, looking around curiously.

"This isn't over yet!" he cried. "Come on, I know you're there, you chicken-shit wussy!"

She watched as he knelt for his glasses, so that he could focus his eyes and see her from a distance. She narrowed her eyes, feeling the chakra needles beginning to leave her skin. She began to unwind the bandages around her hands and lower arms. She had to time this just right.

He put the glasses back on, trying to locate her. Without his glasses, once she was out of the range of his chakra, he couldn't see her.

The chakra he had been controlling disappeared and she grinned.

She launched herself into the air and shot the chakra needles at him.

Ariki screamed in pain as the chakra needles hit him and he stumbled backwards, landing hard.

She landed on top of him and undid the bandages completely. She wrapped them around his head, tightening the wrapping until he couldn't see anything, with or without his glasses.

She grabbed some kunai and pinned his arms and body to the ground as she had seen Arcin do to Rena the previous day.

She punched the boy in the stomach, knocking him unconscious, if only for the moment. He was bound to wake up within seconds—she hadn't wanted to waste chakra on him; not with the fight coming up between herself and her sister.

Yassa stood up and looked at the proctor, her eyes returning to normal.

"Yakara Ariki is no longer able to fight," said Shikamaru. "Yassa is the winner."

The crowd erupted into cheers, and Yassa smiled. She actually felt like she had accomplished something. She hadn't abused her trait, and had managed to win mainly on wits and basic skills.

She left the arena and Ariki was released by the medics.

He sat up, ripping the bandages from his eyes.

"YOU BITCH!" he screamed, throwing his glasses aside. He lifted his hands and his chakra raced at her. Yassa turned around in time to see the boy attacked by Tara.

She kicked him in the side and he collapsed, holding his gut.

"T-Tara…damn you…"

She glowered at him. "You're lucky I don't rip your eyes out. Lose your brain and lose your head."

He grumbled and was helped up by the medics. They left the arena, Ariki glowering at Yassa.

"I'm gonna kill you, you fucking bitch. Just you wait," he said, even though his glasses were gone and he couldn't see her, he was still threatening her. "I'm going to fucking kill you."

Yassa looked over at Tara after the boy had been taken away. She narrowed her eyes, wondering why Tara had done such a thing. Finally, she turned and walked away.

_That was tense,_ thought Shikamaru. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "The next match is between Takura Tara and Makiro Raga."

Raga groaned and dropped into the arena. He didn't have a choice…he had to fight this girl one way or another.

"Good luck," Yassa said.

He nodded and cracked his knuckles. "You wanna fight her?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'll make this quick."

She nodded.


	26. Part TwentySix: The Shortest Match

Part Twenty-Six: The Shortest Match

"Are both of you—?"

"I forfeit," said Raga, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"What?" asked Shikamaru. "Are you sure?"

Raga nodded. "I give in. She can have the match. After all, I am a gentleman." He bowed and walked away.

"Very well, then," said Shikamaru, but inside he was smiling. The boy was smart enough to keep himself from danger, at least. "Makiro Raga has forfeited the match, so the winner by default is Takura Tara."

Tara narrowed her eyes, but didn't bother with arguing against the choice of the Sand weakling. She looked up at Yassa, who had just made it to the competitor's box. She was watching as her teammate left the arena.

So, Tara left as well, but not before pausing at the entrance to the staircase. Her eyes shifted, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She turned around, her eyes sweeping the crowd.

Her eyes landed on the girl dressed in black, seated at the end of a row.

The girl smirked, even if the motion was hidden from view by the bandages around her mouth.

Tara shook her head and disappeared into the shadows of the steps.


	27. Part TwentySeven: If not for Doubt

Part Twenty-Seven: If not for Doubt

"The next match is Arcin and Yaraka Oriki," said Shikamaru. He looked up, watching as Arcin dropped from the box and jogged over to the center of the arena. She looked over at where Oriki was.

He sighed and sulked over to the center as well. He could already see how things were lining up—at this point, he was irrelevant. Even if he won, he would be interrupting the flow of things.

He looked at Arcin and she grinned at him. "I'm going to win, you know."

"I know," he replied.

"You kicked my teammate out of the standings," she said. "That doesn't make me happy."

"I know."

"Proctor, start the match already!" she shouted.

"Are you both ready?"

"Yeah," muttered Oriki.

"Duh!"

"Begin!"

The girl at the end of Neji's row leaned forward. "This is the third Takura, right?"

"Yeah," replied Naruto. "She has scary eyes, if you ask me."

The young woman just chuckled. "Scary eyes? Are mine scary?" She turned her eyes onto him.

Naruto looked into them. "No. They're nice."

"Thank you," she replied, smiling. "But you are very much mistaken."

"What?"

"She may have scary eyes, but I think she's like the first girl. I think she won't fight, and if she does, she'll rely on her wits and not on her skills."

"Her wits are her skills," said Sakura. "I mean, if you think about it…they're the same thing."

"Not quite, but I'll let you believe that," replied the young woman.

"What's the difference, then?" asked Neji.

"The first girl would have lost if you hadn't helped her," said the woman. "She has no skills. The second girl has at least some skills, because she managed to scare her competition right away. This third one? She's too loud. She has no skills."

"You didn't see her fight yesterday," muttered Naruto.

"Really? Was she good?"

"Let's just say it was an interesting match," said Neji.

"Oh? I hope this one is interesting, then," she said.

Oriki positioned his feet and dropped his glasses. He watched as she came at him. All he could think of doing was enclosing himself in a box of chakra. At least then it would look like he put up some kind of a fight.

Arcin raced around him, watching as he stood completely still, his arms crossed over his chest. She grinned and ran at him from the back. She smashed into the chakra wall and stumbled backwards.

She shook her head and frowned. _He must be using his chakra to block his body._

Arcin jumped backwards and into one of the trees as Yassa had. At least she knew their weaknesses because of her. But if this guy used his chakra to make a defense around himself, how was she supposed to get in?

She pulled out the piece from the Shogi game she and Shikamaru had played. She concentrated, remembering the last move she had made. He had cornered her in, where she wasn't able to move except for where he wanted her to.

She grinned and stuffed the piece back in her pocket.

Sheep, lion, deer, lion, tiger.

"_Snow Element: Spring Mud Jutsu!_"

It was her least favorite jutsu, but she had little choice. In this case, she would make an exception of using it.

She dropped from the tree branch and pressed the palms of her hands onto the ground, snow erupting under her hands and running along the dirt. She focused her chakra and melted the snow until it had seeped into the ground.

She then moved the thick mud from her area over to the boy. He was watching her, but couldn't see what it was she was doing, so he just stayed still. Either way, it didn't matter.

He looked up into the sky, thinking about the first time he and his twin had met Tara.

She had been half-starved and reminded them of a dog. Her hair had been longer then, and unable to comb it out completely, they had finally been forced to cut it off.

She hadn't had to train hard like they had, but they didn't care.

She had never been a friend, just someone they had worked with.

He smiled and looked back at Arcin. Maybe these two girls with her same skills could convince her otherwise. Maybe they could make Tara become friendlier towards people.

Maybe she could even act human once or twice.

He looked down at his feet. The ground he was standing on had become muddy and he was sinking into the ground.

He smirked. Well, at least she had seen the opening he had left her. Even if he was a Rock ninja, it was pointless for him to fight back.

Oriki could see Tara watching him, her eyes narrowed. But, he was sure she understood.

After all, hadn't she been the one to make the pact with them?

"_If you see something that will involve me in the near future, do not interfere. Stay out of it, even if you should die by doing so. We are three _separate_ people, and so we live individually from one another. If you get left behind, I will not come for you, and neither will your brother. You will have to fight for yourself. Agreed?_"

They had both agreed. Even if it wasn't the way of the ninja, it was their way. He knew now that this involved her more than it did him.

It was ironic, almost, in a way. She was being left behind by him and Ariki, and yet, here were two girls, probably of some relation to her, preparing to fight against her. Even if he was left behind, his twin wouldn't come for him, and now she was being left behind, but her family was what she was being left to.

He opened his eyes, watching as the earth swallowed him. Once his vision was gone and he was completely encased under the ground, his chakra shield disappeared.

Oriki smirked.

So, this was what Tara had always wanted. To die…

Suddenly he was launched upwards, his stomach sick, but his eyes were still covered. He felt air enter his lungs through his nose and mouth. She had used an earth-style jutsu and raised him above the ground, his body still confined to the mud.

"Yakara Oriki is no longer able to fight," said Shikamaru. "Arcin is the winner."

Arcin lowered Oriki to the ground, waiting to see if he would attack her, but he merely leaned over and picked his glasses up, brushed them off, and replaced them. He left the arena to find his brother.

This time, Tara was the one who would be left behind and completely alone.


	28. Part TwentyEight: Traits of Self

Part Twenty-Eight: Traits of Self

"Since there was a drop-out," Shikamru said, "There will be an hour break before the next match, between Takura Tara and Yassa of the Sand Village, starts."

The crowd didn't seem to mind this, as it was nearing noon, and people needed to eat. Food stands had been opened, and some people left while others stayed sitting.

Neji stood up.

"Where're you going?" asked Naruto.

"I need to talk to Yassa before her next match," he replied. "I'll be back before they start."

The woman at the end of the bench narrowed her eyes, yet she didn't move.

The ANBU op sighed and followed Neji. Gaara had already left to find Tara. She had no doubt in her mind that the next match was going to be explosive.

Tara and Yassa were standing at complete opposites of the competitor's box, their eyes narrowed at one another.

Neji approached Yassa and asked calmly, "Are you alright?"

She looked at him and nodded. "Yeah. That fight with the Yakara twin didn't take too much out of me."

"How did the Byakugan work?"

"Well," she replied with a smile. "I know your uncle's going to be quite upset now that I have it…"

"He doesn't have to know how you got it."

She nodded, but still looked uncertain.

"You'll be fine," said Neji. "She won't kill you, I don't think."

"I died a long time ago in her eyes," Yassa replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if she did kill me, if not only to rid the world of my body."

Neji placed his hand on her arm. "Don't die."

"I told you, I have no intention of losing my life to her," replied Yassa with a smirk. "And besides, I must avenge Miss Hyuuga."

Neji smiled sadly. "Don't let revenge drive you."

"Then I'll do it for the sake of our friendship."

"Do this for you," he said, "not for me."

"We've been through this," she replied.

"And I'm going to tell you again," he said, "don't let revenge drive you. I've seen terrible things come from it."

She nodded. "Then I will fight and win for other reasons."

"Good."

Gaara crossed his arms and stood beside Tara. "You're going to kill her, aren't you?"

"Unless you kill me first," she replied coldly.

"I don't know how you two are going to fight. You're both defensive, not offensive," he said.

She lifted her arm and said, "You forget what I'm capable of."

"You didn't…"

She just glanced at him.

He sighed. "Just don't kill her."

"Why not?"

"You already have her trait."

"I don't have her jutsu's," she replied. "Not all of them."

"Why would you kill her? She's your sister."

"I told you," she replied. "My sisters died a long time ago."

He nodded. "Of course."

Arcin leaned against the railing, looking out into the arena. She was listening to the others talking with the people who cared about them. She felt sad suddenly, realizing that since she and the others had come, and she had only spoken to Shikamaru a few times and played Shogi with him once.

She wanted to play again once these stupid matches were over.

Maybe she should just forfeit.

She blinked, realizing at Shikamaru was waving up at her from his spot with the other Chuunin and Jounin.

She smiled.

Well, at least she had found a friend. She waved back.

He gave her a thumbs-up, and she returned it.

She couldn't quit now.

Not unless the next match was something that she couldn't compete against.

"I suppose it's for the best," she murmured. It wasn't like her to give up anyways. She always fought to the very end, no matter what. So, she guessed that's what she'd have to do. Fight to the very end. At least, she would if the next match didn't suit her taste.

She looked over at Yassa. Hyuuga Neji was talking to her, obviously trying to calm her down and get her ready to fight Tara.

Tara looked completely calm, and Gaara was standing by her. There was an air around them that told Arcin that they weren't friends. More or less, Gaara was just someone who had once experienced the same blood-lust as she did now.

Maybe he was trying to save her.

After all, that's what Kage's did, right?

Arcin tried not to smile. That would be nice. Tara needed to be saved from the hell she was going through.

From the hell all three of them had gone through since that night.

She shivered.

That was one night she never wanted to relive.

She was glad that their older sister was gone, and she hoped that she was dead. Arcin never wanted to see her again after the hell she had put the three of them through.

_If she is still alive, I'll kill her,_ Arcin decided. _But there's no chance of her still being around. It's been ten years since then, and I honestly doubt that she's still alive, and if she is…she'd better pray that she doesn't find me, or that I don't find her._

The ANBU left the bottom of the stairs. There was nothing here for her to hear. At least, nothing that she didn't already know. She was headed back to her seat when her path was obstructed by a figure.

She sighed and adjusted her hands under her cape. "I'm an ANBU op; you might want to get out of my way."

"Really?" asked the figure. She lifted her head. "Somehow I don't think I will."

"You," whispered the ANBU. "Listen, Orochimaru doesn't want you anymore. He doesn't care about you."

"So he's going to go after them?"

"There's a reason they're still alive—what is it, if not to serve under him?"

"They're alive because they have survived this far."

"Why didn't you kill them, too?"

"I didn't kill anyone."

"You instigated the villager's wrath towards your parents," replied the ANBU. "Yet the triplets survived. How?"

"They're strong, like their sister."

"Their sister—"

The girl at the other end of the hallway lifted her arms, kunai cutting her skin and blood dripping from her body.

"_Blood Clones,_" whispered the ANBU, backing away. "Are you going to kill me?"

"I kill anyone who serves that snake."

"Then you will have to kill Tara, because in time, she will come to love Orochimaru more than I or even the Uchiha."

"You are pigs."

"Speak for yourself."

The blood clones had fully formed and they stood on either side of the girl. "My clones will kill you."

"I expected to die," she replied. "Just not by your hand, _princess_."

The other girl narrowed her eyes.

"I know you haven't heard that name in a long time, have you?"

"I am no princess."

"That's why they died, isn't it? You couldn't stand the fact that you would never gain the throne as long as they lived. You were jealous, weren't you? Or was there something else? ...Maybe it was some_one_ else?"

The clones dropped to the floor, and quite suddenly burst up before the ANBU. She was grabbed by them, her body bound by their arms and legs.

The girl approached the other and carefully lifted the mask from her face. "I should have known it was you. I suppose it was the only way you could live, after what I did to you."

The girl narrowed her Sharingan.

"How you can let that monster take your nephew like that, I will never understand. But, unlike you, I still have strong ties to my family, Uchiha Kosuke."

"You're in denial," replied Kosuke with a grin. "You have no ties. In fact, I'd say you came to kill them off yourself, didn't you? Now here's something you don't know—your little Tara? She's already learned the secret to the Blood Clones. She made one just the other night—on accident, mind you! She's almost a full year younger than you were when you figured out how to make them, isn't she?"

"Talking won't save you," replied the girl calmly.

"Sasuke will avenge our family!" said Kosuke. "You say I don't love him—you say I don't care for him! He will avenge the death of my brother and his family! He will kill that monster Itachi, and I will be able to rest well in my grave! Now what of you?! Who will avenge the pain you have placed on their hearts?!"

The girl lifted her hand, bent it back, and a kunai shot from her wrist and into the woman's forehead.

The Blood Clones dropped her dead body and they dove into the wound, collecting the blood of the dead woman before retuning to the other's body.

She left.


	29. Part TwentyNine: For the Honor of

Part Twenty-Nine: For the Honor of Friendship

"Good luck," Neji said, placing his hand on Yassa's shoulder as the hour drew to an end.

She nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

"I'll be cheering for you," he said, and then he left.

Gaara followed him without saying good-bye to Tara, and the two sisters glowered at each other.

Arcin sighed and watched as Shikamaru approached the center of the arena. "The fourth match of the day is about to begin. It will start in five minutes, so please be seated and ready."

Neji reached his seat, noticing that the woman who had joined them was still where she had been before. She hadn't moved, it seemed.

She smiled at Neji as he came into view. "How are they?"

"Ready."

"Good," she replied. "This is the match all of us have been waiting for."

He nodded and sat down beside Sakura.

The dead body of the ANBU ops he and Gaara had stumbled on had been reported to another ANBU he had seen, and the other ANBU had said he would take care of it.

Neji still felt that something was out of place.

He shivered.

The next five minutes dragged by, and finally the proctor called for the two of them to enter the arena.

Tara dropped from the competitor's box, landing with ease and walking towards the center of the arena.

Yassa was about to follow when Arcin grabbed her by the arm and stopped her. She looked up at her. "Win, alright? Even if she doesn't have any connection to us anymore…I think I am still your sister, in some sense."

Yassa nodded. "A-alright."

"Good luck." She let go of Yassa, and the other girl dropped into the arena as well. She approached Shikamaru and Tara, and the two looked at each other.

"Are you both ready?"

"Yeah."

Tara nodded.

"Begin!"

Yassa situated her feet and held her hands before her.

"No matter what you do, it's useless," said Tara as she also situated herself. "I know more than you do. I have accepted my trait, my talent. I have absorbed more information than you have. I have learned more techniques than you have. I am superior in every way."

"You judge me so readily," replied Yassa.

"I only judge what I see," she replied. "And what I see is failure. You might be the second-best in your village, but there is not one better than me in mine."

"We come from the same village," Yassa pointed out.

"That village was destroyed the day my family was killed."

"You're still hurting inside, even if you say you aren't," replied Yassa.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "What's happened has happened."

"Instead of pushing us away, why don't you try letting us inside?" asked Yassa. "We can help you, and in turn, we can help each other. We can go through this together."

"The only thing I want to go through is your heart."

"You said once that I was already dead."

"You are."

"Then why dwell upon something so trivial?"

"Because I want to see you squirm."

"I don't squirm."

"Oh?"

Yassa smirked. "I make others pay their debts."

"What debts have I?"

"The debts of the lives you have taken."

"Are you still upset about that?"

"You took the life of someone dear to someone I know," she replied. "I will not let you get away with this."

"You're too just for your own good."

"Justice is the law of life. It keeps us in harmony."

"If it's harmony you seek, you won't find it here."

"I will find it wherever I search."

"Who do you fight for?"

"Myself," she replied, "and those dear to me that you have hurt."

"Then you fight for no one."

Yassa smirked and leveled herself. "If you're trying to make me mad, it will not work."

"You're too stupid to get mad."

Here Yassa's eyes narrowed. "You don't want to make me mad, let me place it in that manner."

Tara sneered and launched forward, kunai and shuriken appearing on her body. She launched them.

Yassa lifted her arms, as if to block herself, but from her arms shot her own shuriken and kunai. They collided with Tara's.

Tara rammed into Yassa, and Yassa in turn collected chakra at the tips of her fingers and shoved them into Tara's side.

It was a battle of titans.

"This is pointless," said Sakura softly. "Neither one of them can win, if they have the same abilities."

"They don't have the same abilities," replied the woman at the end of the bench before Neji could speak. "Tara's abilities are more advanced than Yassa's, but Yassa is stronger than Tara."

"What?" asked Naruto.

"I can admit that I am shocked at how well Tara has learned her trait and how to utilize it, but she's too overconfident. Yassa's calmness and level-headedness will help her to succeed."

"But Tara's cold-hearted," said Sakura. "She won't stop until Yassa's dead."

"She will."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"Wait a minute," Neji said slowly. "How do you know any of this? Before, you had no idea what was going on. Sakura had to explain everything to you. How is it that you know how Yassa and Tara are so different?"

"He's right," said Sakura.

"Who are you?" demanded Neji.

The young woman looked over at Neji and replied calmly, "I'm a friend."

"Not good enough. I need a name."

"I find it very interesting that you should be so worried about me instead of your friend."

"You just said she would be fine," replied Neji, "and I agree with you. Now tell us who you are, or I'll call an ANBU."

"You don't want to do that," she replied softly. "You see, I don't have a ticket." She smiled innocently. "And besides, I really came all this way to see this match, and the next one. I am very curious to see how these three have grown."

Neji narrowed his eyes, but could do little without disrupting the fight, and doing that might cost Yassa her life.

Yassa ducked as Tara shot her hands at her again. She managed to grab Tara by the legs and flip her onto her back. She got on top of her, but was thrown off by Tara shooting her with more kunai and shuriken.

Yassa landed and got up as the shuriken and kunai were absorbed into her body. She was breathing hard, sweat rolling down her face. It had been nearly five minutes since the match had started, and still neither of them had the upper hand.

She began to get angry.

Not at how long the match was taking, but at the fact that everything she was doing was hardly phasing Tara. The girl was evil, she was a murderer, and she was going to get _away with it._

That was the part that made Yassa angry the most.

She didn't know if she could stand the fact that Tara was going to get away with that cocky grin.

Miss Hyuuga had died because of this monster, and Neji was suffering, even if he wouldn't admit it.

Yassa closed her eyes and focused all of her chakra. She _had_ to win. There was no going back now, and besides…she had an honor of friendship to uphold.

Tara chuckled and tossed her hair out of her eyes. "You're going to die, here and now, and there's nothing you can do about it, dear _sister_."

Yassa gritted her teeth. This girl was just pushing every button she had.

She opened her eyes, feeling the chakra flowing through her. "That's where you're wrong. About both. I'm going to be the one who wins, and you are no longer my sister."

Tara rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Either way, you'll be just as easy to kill as the Hyuuga brat. As soon as you tire out, you'll be dead, and I'll have your knowledge and powers."

Yassa raced towards Tara and screamed, "Don't you dare talk about Miss Hyuuga that way!"

Tara laughed and dodged the attack, moving swiftly to the wall of the arena. She started to run around the edge, Yassa on her heels.

"I'll kill you!" screamed Yassa. "I'll fucking kill you!"

Tara laughed and stumbled. "I'd like to see that!"

They ran around, faster and faster, until they were just a blur to the untrained eye.

Neji had his Byakugan focused on them, and three seats down, the woman had her pair of Sharingan out, watching as well. She smiled. This was what she had been waiting for.

Yassa focused her chakra into her body and suddenly her skin stretched out from her limbs, catching Tara by the ankles and dragging her to the proverbial ground. She lifted the other girl into the air, her skin twisting around Tara's body. She swung her around over her head and shot her into the other wall.

Tara's body blasted into it, making an enormous hole. She sat up slowly, her body aching all over.

No one had ever managed to hurt her like that before.

She looked around, searching for Yassa.

"Looking for me?" Yassa called, running up the side of the arena. She decked Tara in the jaw and then grabbed her by her pony tail, her skin wrapping about Tara's body once more. She shot the girl into the other wall before her bones had completely healed.

Tara groaned as she sat up again. She looked around, Yassa once more coming at her, this time from the side.

Tara was ready this time; she stood up and fixing her bones as fast as she could, she braced for impact. Yassa's hands and her hands clenched against the others, and they held each other, their eyes on fire.

Before Tara's eyes, Yassa's skin began to slide off of her bones again, stretching out and wrapping around her own flesh.

Yassa grinned.

Tara screamed as Yassa's skin tightened around her wrists, breaking them. She was flung into the ground, and Yassa jumped down after her, her muscles changing density. She forced chakra to her feet and began to spin around, changing and adjusting the Kaiten into an arrow.

She landed on top of Tara, an explosion resounding around the stadium.

When Yassa pulled herself up, her legs having broken from the impact and now repairing themselves, she looked into the crater.

Tara was slowly getting to her feet, blood gushing from a wound on her stomach. Her own bones were rearranging themselves, snapping back into place, crunching and groaning with the weight of her muscles and skin. The wound in her stomach healed.

Three Blood Clones appeared from the blood that had come from her body. They also lifted up, and Yassa frowned, pushing her hair from her eyes.

She raced towards them, jumping into the air. She spun around, her muscles and bones disconnecting and her foot becoming heavier. She hit one of the Blood Clones in the face, and it burst, the blood going towards the other clones.

Yassa stretched her skin to its limit, grabbing one of the Blood Clones and smashing it into the other one. They both collapsed and were gone.

Yassa landed, her skin reattaching itself to her muscles and her bones. She looked up at Tara, sweat rolling down both of their faces.

For the first time in her life, Tara felt fear.

She felt fear that she might actually die.

Yassa smirked and lifted a kunai. "I've figured out how you can die."

"Y-you have?"

Yassa nodded. She raced forwards, and Tara jumped out of her way, but Yassa slung her skin around Tara's foot, yanking her back to the ground with a smash.

She jumped on top of Tara and drove the kunai into her chest. Before her skin began to take it inside, she pulled it out and thrust her skin into Tara's chest and surrounded her heart.

"How does it feel to have someone else's hand around your heart?" she asked. "How does it feel for you to be near death, huh, _sister_?"

Neji was standing up, Gaara, and all of the others in the stands along with him. His eyes were wide. Was this really Yassa? Was she really going to kill Tara?

The woman at the end of the bench had her eyebrows raised. She had known that Yassa was capable, but seeing her actually get this close to killing Tara was something rather unexpected.

Tara leaned her head back. "Fucking _finally_!"

"What?" Yassa asked, confused.

"Kill me already!" Tara had her eyes closed. "I'm waiting! Just do it!"

Yassa let her hand slip away from Tara's heart. She pulled out of Tara and backed away, watching as the wound resealed itself.

"What the fuck?!"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," replied Yassa, her eyes wide with terror.

"Damn it!" screamed Tara. She stood up and grabbed a kunai. "Kill me! God damn you, _kill me_!"

Yassa stumbled away from her. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Kill me or I'll kill you!" she screamed, launching herself at Yassa. The two of them rolled around in the dirt, ending up in the center of the crater a few seconds later.

Yassa finally managed to knock Tara unconscious. She stood up and looked at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru approached the crater and saw that Tara wasn't moving. "Takura Tara is unable to fight. Yassa is the winner."

The stadium slowly came to applaud her effort. She wiped her forehead with her hand and looked around, her eyes resting on Neji.

He smiled back at her and sat down, glad that at the last moment she had let go of revenge and let Tara live.

Arcin dropped into the arena. She ran over to where Tara was being loaded onto a stretcher and where Yassa was bent double, breathing hard.

Arcin looked around. "I think I'm going to forfeit."

"What?" Yassa asked. "Why?"

"Because that was too amazing, and anything I do would be nothing compared to that. It was…excellent, to say the least."

"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" asked Shikamaru.

Arcin nodded. "She is my sister, after all."

Yassa smiled up at Arcin as Arcin placed her hand on her back gently. "Thanks."

"Arcin has forfeited the next match, so the winner by default is Yassa," Shikamaru announced.

The entire stadium burst into applauds and boos, some people pleased, and some displeased.

So that was that. The exams were over, and the results would be announced after the Hokage, Jounin and current Cuunin had a chance to discuss the rankings and who would be awarded the title of Chuunin.

People began to leave the stadium, and Tara's body was carried off.


	30. Part Thirty: Takura Tetsu

Part Thirty: Takura Tetsu

Neji looked over to where the woman was sitting. She was frowning, he could tell by the creases around her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I was expecting the other one to fight, too."

"She's too smart for that," replied Neji. "Besides, wasn't that last match enough for you?"

"It proved that Yassa, is, indeed, a good carrier," replied the woman.

"Okay, now that everyone's gone," Naruto said after their area had cleared, "cut the crap and tell us who you are."

The woman replied, "I'm Takura Tetsu."

"Who?"

Tetsu looked at Naruto and suddenly he slumped over, unconscious.

Neji watched as she retracted her arm.

"I hope you don't mind," she said, and Sakura suddenly slumped over as well, her other arm retracting, "but these two are too nosey."

Neji stood up. "You killed that ANBU, didn't you?"

"She was no ANBU," replied Tetsu calmly. "Her name, if you must know, was Uchiha Kosuke. I can see the confusion in your eyes. She had left the village before Uchiha Itachi killed off his clan and left Sasuke's mind to rot in hatred. She returned to find her family dead and in her seek for revenge she met up with Orochimaru. I'm sure you've heard of him—ah, I can tell by the look on your face that you have."

She adjusted the bandages around her hand and continued, "She desired revenge for what Itachi did, and so she enlisted with the demon Orochimaru. Her Sharingan wasn't strong enough for his tastes, and much like my Otiyaga, Itachi's was too powerful, but little Sasuke's was just right.

"As far as I can tell, he has Sasuke in his clutches and will transfer bodies very soon. According to Kosuke, Orochimaru has heard very recently of the Takura triplets' survival. Honestly, I didn't know they had survived myself. I had thought that the villagers would have killed them as well, but I suppose they escaped in time to the surrounding villages and countries."

"What does he want with them?"

"It's not what he wants with them," she replied. "They're all strong, I know that much. Yassa can control her skin very well, and Tara is headed onto the path where she can control her blood, and my bet is that the one called Arcin will probably have great muscular control in the future. But their control isn't complete enough for anything Orochimaru is planning."

"And you have this control he needs?"

"I was the first-born, and in my clan, that means that my Bloodline Limit is the purest. Also, I did not have my genetic code shared with two other embryos. They did, and that means that they lost part of themselves to the others. They are only complete if they fight as a team, and as far as I can tell, that's not going to happen as long as Tara wants to die and Yassa and Arcin respect life."

"Why did you kill your family?"

"I didn't kill anyone."

"What happened?"

"The villagers of the Hidden Shadow Village were very…upset…by my family's Bloodline Limit, and so when I was sixteen, I urged them to get rid of the ones they hated. I don't regret it," she said. "Just as I don't regret what I am about to do."

"What—?"

She swung her arm up and hit Neji on the back of the head. He collapsed and she stood up. She looked down into the arena where Yassa and Arcin were talking. Shikamaru nodded and replied with something.

The Hokage approached them and began to talk to them about Tara.

Tetsu walked up the stairs and was gone.

**Note:** All right, the Chuunin Exams are done! WHOOOOOHOOO:D!


	31. Part ThirtyOne: Shadows of Eternity

Part Thirty-One: Shadows of Eternity

Tara lay awake in the hospital. It had been nearly a week since her fight with Yassa, and still the nurses and doctors wouldn't let her leave. Even if her body was completely healed, they were keeping her there to keep an eye on her "mental recovery."

She looked outside of the window, the silver clouds passing over the moon.

She had been so close to death.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

When she opened them again, she knew she wasn't the only one in the room. She forced the Byakugan out and looked around.

A man was standing in the corner of the room.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto, and I am here to give you a proposal, Takura Tara," he said, emerging from the shadows.

She sighed and leaned her head against the pillow. "Come back tomorrow."

"Just like your sister," he replied.

"I have no family. You must be mistaken."

"You desire death, don't you? Over anything else in the world?"

"So what if I do? You can't kill me," she snorted. "Now go away and stop wasting my time."

"I may not be able to kill you, but the man I serve can. Not only that, but he can give you anything you want," Kabuto offered. "He can give you eternity without pain and suffering. He can give you friends, or he can give you targets. Anything you desire."

She looked at Kabuto, now curious. "Who is this man?"

"His name is Orochimaru. He is one of the three Legendary Sennin," replied Kabuto. "He can even help you kill the one who took your family from you."

Here Tara's eyes shifted. "She's dead."

"No, she's not," he replied.

"I don't believe you. If she were alive, she would have come for me by now."

"She has come," he replied, "and she watched you get destroyed and mocked by Yassa. She will not help you, not now and not ever."

"I know."

"Then what is it you are hoping for from her?"

Tara looked down at her hands. "What would I have to do?"

"Come with me and meet Orochimaru," he replied. "Even if you don't want to side with him, at least meet him and see what he can do for you."

"If he can't kill me, I'll kill the both of you."

"A fair plan," replied Kabuto. "But I'm sure he'll ask for something in return for your wish."

"I can't do anything for him after I'm dead."

"It'll have to be before, then."

"I'll think about it."

"I will return in a week for your answer," replied Kabuto.

She watched as he left through the window without any troubles, and then she retuned to gazing at the moon.


	32. Part ThirtyTwo: Triplets

Part Thirty-Two: Triplets

"Tara's been in the hospital for a long time," said Arcin after she took a seat beside Yassa's bed. "So have you, come to think of it."

"And that poor boy," murmured Yassa. "Aburame Chiro."

"There was nothing any of us could have done, but at least he's alive," she replied. "Listen, I heard that the twins are going back to the Stone Country, and that your teammate is leaving, too."

"The exams are over, and the results were posted," she replied softly.

"The only one's who made it to Chuunin were Raga and Riki, right?"

Yassa nodded and leaned back into the pillow. "It's all for the best. Just image those twins or myself as a Chuunin!"

Arcin smiled. She moved a piece on the Shogi board. "Well, either way, I don't mind. I'm planning on staying here, even if my teammates are going home." She looked at Yassa for a long moment before asking, "Will you go home, then, too?"

Yassa looked out the window. "There's no one waiting there for me, fortunately. I can stay here, as well."

Arcin's smile grew wider. "Really?"

"Of course," Yassa replied, turning back to her sister. "We're triplets, after all, and to leave seems only to be something the lowest of demons would do."

The other girl just laughed. "It's gonna take a long time to get used to you, Yassa."

She just smiled.

_Thunk, thunk_.

"Come in," Yassa said.

The door slid open and Neji looked inside. He smiled when he saw Yassa. "They still have you here?"

She lifted and lowered a frail shoulder. "I suppose they want to examine my trait. Actually, I'm amazed they don't have Arcin in here, too."

Arcin just chuckled. "Well, either way, I'll go check in on Tara. Maybe she'll talk to me this time. See yah in a bit!" She stood up and left, nudging Neji before she shut the door.

Neji sighed and shook his head, placing some lilies on the bed stand. He sat down in the seat Arcin had vacated. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she replied, silently admiring the lilies. "I just wish they would let myself and Tara out, is all."

Neji nodded and leaned back in his seat, looking out the window. "Will you leave?"

"If Arcin and Tara choose to, then I will as well," she replied. "However, I don't think Arcin is planning on leaving anytime soon."

"What about Tara?"

"She will leave; I have no doubt about that."

"Will you go, too?"

"If Arcin wants to."

Neji nodded.

"You can come, too," she suggested suddenly. "Shikamaru, too. All five of us—well, okay, four, unless Tara goes with us…" she looked away. "But I know that you still have a family here—both of you have."

Neji was truly astonished by her suggestion and didn't reply for a long time. Finally, he asked, "Where will you go?"

"Most likely wherever Tara goes. If we lose track of her, we will go to the Hidden Shadow Village," she said. "Maybe Arcin and I can figure something out, and we can help them."

Neji glanced away. "I suppose."

"Neji, all week you have asked me the same thing," Yassa said. "And I thought maybe I would invite you, and you might feel better…but I can tell that this isn't want's bothering you. Is it Tara, or is it Miss Hyuuga?"

"Honestly, it's neither," he replied softly. "Yassa, I don't want to worry you, but…"

"But?"

"When you fought with Tara in the exams…there was a girl, at the end of our row," Neji began slowly. "She said her name was Takura Tetsu. Do you know her?"

Yassa's eyes went wide. "T-Tetsu? Are you sure?"

"Yes," he replied. "She said she had the Otiyaga. I think she killed an ANBU ops by the name of Uchiha Kosuke…or at least, she said that Kosuke was posing as an ANBU. Do you know Tetsu?"

"Yes," whispered Yassa, her eyes still locked on Neji. "But I thought she was dead. We all did."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember when I said I felt that someone was missing?"

"Yes."

"Well, that someone was Tetsu. She's our older sister," she said softly. "She's the one who's responsible for Mother and Father's death. She convinced the villagers to kill them…it's her fault the three of us were separated." Her hands clenched the blanket.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't know…"

"It's fine," she replied. "It's just interesting to know that she's still alive."

"What can you tell me about her?"

"Not much," she replied. "She was sixteen and we were four when our parents were killed. After that, she disappeared. I thought she was killed, too. That's all I can tell you."

Neji leaned forwards. "Yassa, how close were you when you were kids?"

"Not close at all," she said. "As I said, she was sixteen and we were four. She was always away from the house. All I know is that she didn't get along with Mother or Father, either. She has the strongest Otiyaga out of all four of us."

"That's what she said," he said with a nod. "She suggested that because you three had to share your genes, the only way you'd be good fighters is if you worked together. She doesn't think that it'll ever happen, either."

Yassa nodded. "That sounds logical."

"She said that the ANBU she killed was working for Orochimaru. He tried to attack Konoha last year, but I can't see why he'd want to come back. Do you have any ideas?"

"Who's Orochimaru?"

"He's one of the three Legendary Sennin," replied Neji slowly. "You've never heard of him?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Interesting…"

There was a moment of silence.

"Did she have any friends?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I was only four," she said. "If she had any friends, I wouldn't know."

He nodded. "She sounds like Itachi."

"Uchiha Itachi?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Know of him, like the rest of the world," she replied with a smirk. "It's so interesting—the Takura's die, and no one's ever heard of them, but the Uchiha's die, and everyone knows about it. I'm not jealous; in fact, I'm glad that no one knows about it. I figure that the only reason everyone knows about the Uchiha's is because it took place in Konoha. Our village was small, yours was not. And besides, two people died, not fifty."

Neji could only listen. Yassa was in her own world right now, he was sure of it.

_CRASH!_

"I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Yassa's head snapped up and she and Neji looked to the wall on the other side of the room. The noise was coming from Tara's room.

Arcin suddenly burst into the room, the door sliding shut behind her. She grinned and waved. "Hi!"

"What happened?" asked Yassa.

"Queen of the World started attacking me when I asked her to play Shogi with me!" she replied rolling her eyes. "I can't believe we're related to her!"

"Have they connected her to the murder at the Hyuuga household yet?" Yassa asked.

"No," she replied, sitting on the end of the bed. "I don't think she's that stupid."

"Of course not," muttered Yassa.

"So, what now?" asked Arcin. "I mean, all of our partners are headed home, and the three of us are—"

"Arcin," Yassa said softly, "Tetsu's alive."

"What?"

"Tetsu," replied Yassa, looking up at her sister. "She's alive. According to Neji, she was at the competition that week. She killed a spy of Orochimaru's. Have you ever heard of him?"

Arcin nodded slowly. "I-I have…but, haven't you?"

"No," she replied.

"That doesn't make sense to me," said Neji, "since he was the one who was using your village to try and take over Konoha."

She shook her head. "I wasn't involved."

"Orochimaru's well-known for his manic desire to live forever," said Arcin.

"Sounds opposite of what Tara wants," said Yassa. "But I suppose we'll just have to wait and find out. Maybe he was looking for Tetsu."

"That could be true," said Neji.

The conversation wound down and the three of them sat for a long while before Arcin stood. "I guess I should go. I need to send off Talani and Riki."

"Tell them to have a safe journey," said Yassa.

"I will," she said and then she looked at Neji. "But, before I go, Neji, could I talk to you?"

He nodded and stood up, following her from the room.

Arcin shut the door, making sure it closed all the way before turning onto the Hyuuga. "You're the one who gave her those eyes, aren't you? And the ability to use Kaiten?"

"Yes," he replied. "I couldn't see any other way for her to defeat the twin to reach Tara."

"I'm worried that she'll get addicted," said Arcin. "After all, Tara is."

"Yassa's different from Tara," he replied.

"I hope so," she replied softly, "because if you got her addicted…"

"She knows how to control it," he replied. "Besides, she has you. If she needs help, she can go to you, or if she needs, me."

Arcin nodded, though she was still scowling, "Alright, I trust you."

"I would never hurt your sister," said Neji.

"I know…it's just…it's been ten years since I've seen her, and even though we grew up apart, I think part of us still remembers being a triplet."

"I understand."

She nodded and glanced towards Tara's door. "I just wish Tara would remember."

"She will."

Arcin looked at Neji, her brown eyes sad. "No, she won't. Anyways, I'll see you later, Neji. Take care of Yassa."

"Of course."

She left.

Neji glanced at Tara's door before returning to Yassa's room, carefully closing the door behind him.

Gaara walked down the hallway of the hospital. He walked into Tara's room, not bothering to knock. She would have denied him anyways.

He slid the door shut behind him.

"Don't you ever go away?" she snapped.

He glanced at her. "I came by to make sure you were alright."

"Go home already!" she snapped. She didn't bother to mention that he had been coming by nearly every day, just like that damned Arcin girl. "Why the hell are you here?"

"I came to see the Chuunin exams," he said, sitting beside her bed.

"They're over!"

"When Kankurou wants to leave, we'll leave."

She rolled her eyes.

"Something's been bothering me," said Gaara suddenly, his eyes falling onto her ear and lip. "How is it you were able to pierce your lip and ear if your skin repels objects?"

She snorted. "I don't know. Maybe because it goes all the way through or something. I've never taken 'em out, either."

"That make sense," he replied, leaning back into the chair.

"Alright, I answered your question, now leave."

"I'm staying."

"Why do you give a damn?"

"Because I do."

"That's not good enough!" she snapped. "Why do you care about someone you don't even know?! Why me?!"

"Because," he replied, "you remind me of me, before I figured out there's more to life than just me."

She glowered at him. "Just…just get out…"

"I can't understand why you keep pushing everyone away," he said. "Your sisters are still alive, and they care about you. Why do you keep pushing them away?"

"Because…I don't…" she looked away, and Gaara realized by the way she was gripping the bed sheets, she was crying. "I don't want to be hurt again…sister's…they don't leave you, if they're still alive. They just…they just don't."

He nodded. "But, they're here, now…"

"They left me alone!" she shouted. "They made me live alone, and now they have the audacity to come back?! To be _alive_ all this time?! I thought I was the only one! I lived only for death, so that I could get rid of my loneliness! So that I could be with my family again!"

"You aren't alone," he replied. "We're all here for you…"

"SHUT UP!" she screamed, grabbing her head. "Just shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! Those girls aren't my sisters! They just aren't!"

"Then who are they?"

"_IMPOSTERS!_" she screamed. "They're imposters! Here to steal my knowledge! Here to steal my Otiyaga! Here to steal me! _IMPOSTERS! IMPOSTERS!_"

She began to shake violently, and Gaara jumped to his feet.

The door opened and Neji was looking in, a nurse rushing into the room, shoving him aside.

"What happened?" she asked over Tara's shouts.

"I-I don't know," Gaara replied, looking down at her as the nurse injected her with a sedative. "She just started screaming."

Tara stopped shouting, and her eyes drifted shut. She relaxed into the bed.

The nurse stood up, wiping her hair from her eyes. "She should be alright, now…this is what we were worried about…"

"What is it?" asked Neji.

"I can't tell you," she said. "Doctor-patient confidentiality…" She checked Tara's pulse, and then nodded. "If you'll excuse me…" she walked passed Neji and down the hallway.

Gaara approached the end of the bed and lifted up the notepad that was hanging off of it. He began to flip the pages.

"What are you doing?" asked Neji. "She said it was confidential."

"I don't care," he replied. "She's…precious to me. I don't want to find out she was sick after she's dead."

"Fine," he replied, approaching him. "What does it say?"

"She has borderline schizophrenic-paranoia," he replied. "That's why she's still here. It says here that's why Yassa's here, too. They think she might have it, if it's genetic."

"What about Arcin?" asked Neji. "Why isn't she here?"

"She wasn't injured in her matches, so I don't think they could hold her," replied Gaara.

"I thought it was a bit strange that they were both here still," said Neji.

"Especially since both of their injuries have healed," said Gaara replacing the notepad. He looked at Tara, his eyes sad. "Has Yassa shown any signs?"

"No," replied Neji softly.

Gaara nodded and sat back down.

"Gaara?"

"What?"

"Maybe…maybe you should take it slower."

"What are you talking about?"

"She's so used to not having anyone to rely on," he said. "I know you're just trying to help, but…maybe you're scaring her."

Gaara closed his eyes. "I just don't want her to be alone. I know what that hell is like, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone in the world."

"You can't save everyone," said Neji. "But you can save Tara."

"What do you think I should do?"

"Buy her some flowers and put them by her bed, and then leave," he replied. "It'll show her that you care, but then you won't be over-bearing."

Gaara nodded and stood up. "Interesting that the three of them have such a strong bond, but only two of them will acknowledge it."

"I guess it's what happens when your family is destroyed," said Neji very softly.

"It must be," said Gaara. "After all, myself, Naruto, you…the Uchiha…we're all examples of what happens when something happens to our families and our loved ones…and now…these three…"

"Like I said, you can't save everyone," said Neji.

"I know," Gaara said, and he left.

Neji quietly took one last look at Tara, and then closed the door. He didn't know how he was going to tell Yassa bout her sister's condition.


	33. Part ThirtyThree: Akatsuki

Part Thirty-Three: Akatsuki

Tetsu leaned back against the tree, thinking. She was outside of the hospital, watching as the Hyuuga boy went back into Yassa's room.

_So,_ she thought, _Tara's schizophrenic and paranoid? Interesting._

She jumped away from the tree, landing on another one and jumping off again. Five minutes later, she stopped, her eyes shifting. She didn't bother to run; instead she stood up and said, "I know you're there."

Itachi appeared from behind the next tree. He was standing on the branch right across from her. "Look who it is…Takura Tetsu. What are you doing here?"

"I was just on my way to the Wave Country," she replied nonchalantly.

"Oh, somehow I doubt that," he replied. "It's not like you to be so careless."

"What are you talking about?"

"You left such an obvious trail that even Orochimaru is following you."

"Good for him."

"What do you know?"

"Your precious little brother's joined him," she replied. "He did it to defeat you, and I have a feeling Mister Orochimaru's going to use him for his next host. There, are you happy?"

Itachi's eyes widened slightly. "Interesting."

"Your aunt, Miss Kosuke, was very intent on putting forth her idealism before she died," said Tetsu. "She was convinced Mister Sasuke was going to kill you and get revenge for your crimes."

"I wasn't aware she was still alive."

"Indeed."

"You killed her?"

"I needed a pair of Sharingan, what can I say?" Tetsu said with a smirk.

Here, Itachi's eyes went wider. "You're joking."

She closed her eyes and reopened them, revealing the red eyes. "Am I?"

"Even so, they're nothing compared to mine."

"Of course not," she replied, "but they'll get me what I want."

"It doesn't mean you can defeat me."

"I don't need them to defeat you," she replied. "After all, I am the Perfect Being."

"That's what Orochimaru said before he left the Akatsuki."

She just shrugged. "I have nothing further to say to you."

"It's very unlike you to give me information, or to anyone of the Akatsuki, come to think of it," he said. "What are you hiding?"

She cocked her head to the side and said, "It concerned your little brother. I thought you might be interested."

"You're the only one who's concerned with family," he replied.

"If that's so, why are you in Konoha?"

He glanced away.

"You partner won't attack me," she said, "So answer my question."

"I'm looking for the Kyuubi and Shukaku."

"Of course you are," she replied with a sigh. "That's what you were doing six years ago. What's taking you so long?"

"We had to perfect the mission."

She just nodded. "Well, bye."

"Wait."

Tetsu looked back over at him. "What?"

"Why didn't you have your sisters killed? I let Sasuke live, because he wasn't worth my time. But you let three out of five go. Why?"

She glanced away. "I wanted to make myself care about them."

"Do you?"

"No."

"Are you going to kill them?"

"They will die, eventually," she replied. "If they decide to come after me, then I will kill them."

His eyes narrowed. "You're too soft, as always."

She just shrugged.

"You're not going to argue?"

"It can't be helped," she replied. "Besides, we'll have our chance to fight, and you'll have a chance to see my evil side." She gave him a smile and waved. "Later." She jumped into the air, and was gone.

"You know what she did to her partner, don't you?" asked Itachi's partner, landing beside him on the tree.

"She would have done the same thing to Orochimaru if she had stayed to get a new one," replied Itachti.

"We should stay away from her."

"She can't kill us. Besides, our missions are different," he said, his eyes shifting to the direction she had come from. "She'll stay away from us, as long as we don't cross her."

"She hates you."

He glanced at his partner.

"Why didn't she kill you?"

"Because she knew you were there."

He just shrugged. "Let's go."

They left.


	34. Part ThirtyFour: It’s What We Do

Part Thirty-Four: It's What We Do

Yassa held her head in her hands, her eyes closed. "Are you sure?"

Neji nodded. "Yeah. It's what the doctor's note at the end of her bed said."

"Give me mine," she said, looking up.

He nodded and removed the notepad from the end of her bed. He handed it to her and sat down on the chair.

She flipped through the pages, and stopped, her hand over her mouth, her brown eyes wide. She read and reread the page she had turned to.

Neji didn't even have to ask if it said the same thing. He could tell by the way her body was shaking that it did.

She dropped the notepad and pulled her legs to her chest, hiding her face in her knees. She began to sob softly.

Neji was actually taken aback by her state. He had expected her to react, but not like this. Maybe she was more fragile than he had originally perceived.

Not knowing what else to do, he moved to the bed, putting his arm around her, rubbing her back gently. "It's alright…she's being treated for it…"

Yassa just curled into a tighter ball, sobbing harder and harder. She had just found her sisters, and now, to find that one of them was sick…

She relaxed and wiped her eyes. "At least it's not life-threatening…" she whispered. "You're right; she's being treated for it…"

She looked like she was going to break into tears again.

Neji pulled her closer. "It'll be fine…as long as she's here, she'll be fine."

Yassa smiled. "Thank you, Neji."

"It's fine."

She closed her eyes. "I think I should sleep now."

He nodded. "If you want."

She pulled away and lied down, facing away from him.

Neji placed his hand on her shoulder. "If you need me, give me a call. I'll leave you my number…" He scratched it down on a piece of paper and set it beside the lilies. "If I'm not there, I'll—"

"It's fine, Neji," she replied. "Thank you."

He nodded. "Sleep well, Yassa."

She nodded and he left the room, closing the door behind himself. He paused before checking in on Tara. There was a small bouquet of snapdragons and roses beside her bed, but she was still unconscious.

He smiled and closed the door and left the hospital.

Tara opened her eyes. The sun was setting outside of her room, the orange light drifting in through the blinds. She tried to lift her arm to touch her head, to subconsciously make sure everything was attached and right. However, her arm wouldn't move.

She felt her mind tremble in fear—perhaps someone had found her. Tetsu? Yassa? Arcin? She ran through the list of names of known enemies and pretenders. Finally, she realized from the tingling sensation that it was merely sedative that had been pumped into her blood.

She focused on her fingers, and finally managed to get one to twitch.

Tara closed her eyes, forcing herself to relax. If she tried to move too much in this state, she had no doubt in her mind that something bad might happen.

Not that she would mind.

Bearing this in mind, she focused her energy to try and move her other fingers. Almost instantly, her heart-rate increased and she began to sweat.

The monitor beside her began to react to her heart-rate, and a nurse entered the room.

"You shouldn't be moving!"

Tara paused and looked to the nurse. "What did you put into me?"

"A sedative," she replied slowly. "Nothing too powerful, and I don't think you're allergic…"

"How would you know?" Tara snapped. "I could die!" At this point she was trying to guilt the nurse into thinking that she might have killed her. The girl was becoming greedy, she realized.

The nurse scoffed and shook her head. "At least you're not dead! But, please, let me know when you do die!" She left the room.

Tara rolled her eyes. They fell onto the bouquet of roses and snapdragons. For a moment, she didn't quite understand what they were or why they were there. No one had ever given her flowers before—well, other than Yassa and Arcin. They had picked many a flower in the Wind Country as children.

Tara closed her eyes, her head hurting. She wanted to lift her hand, touch it, make the pain go away. For some reason she couldn't get the image of herself and the others in a field of yellow snapdragons and buttercups go away.

When the pain finally subsided, she looked to the flowers again.

The roses were red.

Like Gaara's hair.

She shivered.

Like blood.

She smiled.

At least she knew who had sent them. Yet, at the same time, she was still overwhelmed by confusion and uncertainty. What was this kid trying to do to her, and why the hell did she care so much about it?

For a long time, Tara pondered the question, and finally, she decided her mission: Gaara was too nice. He needed to be taught a lesson.

And what better way than by killing him herself?


	35. Part ThirtyFive: What Causes What

Part Thirty-Five: What Causes What

"It's been a week."

"I know."

"Will you come with me?"

Tara looked out the window and sighed. Her eyes fell onto the bouquet of roses and snapdragons that had been beside her bed every day when she had awoken. They sat there in a vase of water, taunting her, and like a bad disease, they wouldn't leave. Even when they died, they were replaced, and replaced, and replaced.

Gaara was so soft.

How sickening.

"Well?"

"You're sure this master of yours can kill me?"

"Eventually, yes."

"Without drowning?"

"That was never part of the deal, but yes, I believe he can."

"Fine," she replied, and she pushed the covers of the bed back. "Give me a few moments, I need to change."

Kabuto nodded.

"Go outside of the room," she said.

"Alright," he left.

Tara pulled her clothes out of the closet and changed. She pulled her hair into a pony-tail and took one last look at the bouquet of flowers. She left the room and looked at Kabuto. "Let's go."

He nodded and the two silently left the building.

Tetsu watched as her sister followed Kabuto from the hospital. It had taken another three days, but she had finally been allowed to see what was happening around Tara.

_So, that's his plan,_ she thought with a smirk. _How interesting. Well, I suppose this gives me more time to take care of the others…if Orochimaru gives her his mark, then she won't live, and I won't have to worry about it._

She watched as the two of them disappeared into the dark trees.

_However…_

She turned and followed them silently until they reached the edge of the village. Kabuto and Tara left over the giant wall, leaving Tetsu's sight.

Tetsu knelt on the tree-branch, thinking. Perhaps leaving Tara with Orochimaru wasn't such a good idea. She considered this, finally coming to a conclusion that suited her.

_No doubt Arcin and Yassa will try and find her, _she thought. _This will give me an excellent chance to get rid of them, and then Tara's the only one I will have to worry about—that is, if she manages to survive the mark._

She stood up and turned her eyes back towards the hospital. Yassa was still staying there. Perhaps this would be a good time to get rid of her…

_No,_ she forced herself to think. _I must wait. After all, if I act out of step, something very drastic could happen._

She smirked.

_Just like before, _she thought. _That moron, thinking he could do anything he wanted with the mission._

She rested her hand on her hip, thinking.

_Rest in peace, Mister Samuru._ She chuckled to herself. _Indeed, it was a good fight…but still, I would think that—_

"Don't move."

Tetsu looked behind herself, coming to face three ANBU black ops.

"Put your hands in the air," said one, lifting a sword to her.

She smirked. "I suppose you've caught me."

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" demanded the ANBU.

She just smiled.

"Answer the question!" snapped another.

Tetsu glanced behind herself and nodded once. "I take it there are more of you behind me?"

They didn't reply. Instead, the one demanded again, "Give us your name."

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't know who I was," she replied. "Well, I have to run. Later."

Tetsu jumped into the air, the ANBU following her through the trees.

She glanced behind herself. _Don't these freaks ever just give up?_ She sighed and dropped from the trees into the bushes below, hiding from sight.

"Spread out and find her! She may be the one who kidnapped the Takura girl!"

The ANBU did as their commander said, jumping from one area to the next.

Tetsu raised an eyebrow. _Me? Kidnap Tara? How rude of them to think so._

She stood up and darted through the miniature forest, quickly being cutoff by one of the ANBU ops.

"Stop there!"

She slowed to a stop and looked over at him. "I can assure you that I didn't kidnap Miss Takura. She was taken, if you must know, by a henchman of Mister Orochimaru's."

"How do I know you're not the henchman you speak of?" he demanded, lifting his sword to her.

She touched her head and shook it, as if deeming the ANBU a moron. "I wouldn't be here if I were said henchman. I would be elsewhere, with Miss Takura."

"How do you know her name?"

"Everyone knows her name," she replied. "One of the amazing triplets who appeared for the Chuunin Exams and nearly won without any troubles. What an amazing feat, to be able to manipulate ones body in such a way as they did."

"Lord's Hokage and Kazekage believe that you were there to spy on the girls," said the ANBU slowly. "Tell me your name so that I can rule you out."

Tetsu's eyes widened. "_Kazekage?_ I thought he was dead."

"He is quite alive," replied the ANBU.

Here, Tetsu considered who this Kazekage might be. She nodded to herself and said, "Mister Gaara, then, is it not? I was not aware that he had been given the name Kazekage. I suppose it's all for the best."

"Ma'am, if you don't tell me your name, I'm going to have to capture you for questioning."

"Alright, we'll make a deal," she replied. "You tell me your name, and I'll tell you mine."

"I can't do that."

She shrugged. "Then it's not my problem, is it? Well, bye."

Tetsu jumped into the air, landing with ease on a tree branch. She glanced behind herself, the ANBU in her wake.

Another one appeared before her, and she was forced to stop and drop from the trees. She landed, but was once again confronted by a ring of ANBU ops.

Tetsu looked around herself and sighed. "I suppose I have no choice, eh? Well, my name's Hatake Kakashi."

The ANBU glanced from one to the others, unsure. Indeed, this girl had a similar care-free act about her, and it was true that Kakashi could use the Transformation Jutsu, so could it also be true that this girl and Kakashi were one in the same?

"Gotcha," she said, jumping into the air. She bit her thumb, blood falling from her body and to the ground, where it shifted into blood-clones. She stretched her arm out, loosening her muscles and bones. She grabbed one of the ANBU and flung him into a tree with such force that his spine broke.

She landed and watched as the two blood-clones attacked two of the ANBU. Much like water-clones, even when these ones were hit, they merely reformed.

More of the ANBU shot kunai and shuriken at her. She caught them and absorbed them into her skin, and then shot them back out at the ANBU.

Tetsu lifted her arms and her skin flattened and reshaped itself, forcing her hands and lower arms to become giant disks. She molded them into bowls and trapped four more of the ANBU, crushing them.

She laughed and retracted her arms. "How very amusing, but not quite what I was expecting from Konoha's best." She looked around the clearing at the other ANBU. They had collapsed, killed by her blood-clones.

Still, she felt another presence.

She turned her eyes and commanded, "_Sharingan!_"

True, the Sharingan wasn't as useful as the Byakugan, but it would do. She could see the way the trees moved in the breeze, the way the shadows shifted, and the way three of them did not.

She smirked, reabsorbing her blood-mites with the blood of those she had killed. "Those of you that remain, if you must know my name, then I will tell you it. However, I would expect you to remember it well after I say it; especially after what you've seen here tonight. I am known as Takura Tetsu. Now, I will bid two of you a good-night and the other a longer life."

She jumped into the trees, disappearing from sight.

The three remaining ANBU were frozen, shaking, their eyes searching for the girl who had just wiped out eight other ANBU.

After a few moments, one of them began to relax. She lifted her hand to rub her neck, but froze when she felt something cold and smooth beside her neck.

"And to you, I bid a good-night," Tetsu whispered before shoving the kunai into the woman's neck.

She went limp and Tetsu let her hand rest under the wound, absorbing the woman's blood. She dropped her onto the tree branch and jumped into the air, finding another of the ANBU. She killed him, as well, taking his blood.

By the time the third ANBU allowed himself to move, Tetsu was long gone and the sun was rising over the walls of Konoha.


	36. Part ThirtySix: Arrangements

Note: Short chapter…sorry…if you guys are reading this, please review and let me know? I don't wanna keep writing something so long if it's not being read…haha…anyways, you leave me some love and I'll come leave you some ) Deal? Well, enjoy!

xxx

Part Thirty-Six: Arrangements

Itachi looked out to the trees.

"What is it?" his partner asked.

"Nothing."

"Tetsu again?"

"She killed ten ANBU last night," he replied. "That's what everyone's said."

"They must have found her."

"That Tara girl is missing, too."

"Do you think she—?"

"No."

"Then who?"

"I don't know, and honestly, I don't care. We're here distinctly to capture and kill the Kyuubi," Itachi replied. "Let's go."

They jumped into the air, Itachi's partner watching him intensely. He, like most people, knew about Itachi's past, but unlike others, he knew that Itachi had been arranged to marry just a year before he had killed his family.

The woman he had been arranged to was Takura Tetsu.

After her village had been destroyed and her family killed, she had disappeared. Once it was determined who had instigated the attack on the village and Takura family, Itachi's family had been so ashamed that they had forced him, almost blindly, into another arrangement.

This, of course, was not the reason he had killed his family. He would have done so whether or not he and Tetsu had married; it was just who he was. However, he had been hoping to gain some power over the Hidden Shadow Village through the marriage. After Tetsu had disappeared, he had lost that chance at power.

When she had appeared a few years later in the Akatsuki, Itachi had been surprised. He had admitted to thinking that she was dead, but she honestly hadn't cared.

"_I could care less if you you're shocked at my living or not._"

"_Why did you disappear? You could have come to Konoha._"

"_Hmm…no. To be honest, I hate you. I didn't want to marry you, so I did what I could to stay away from you, and that ended in me getting my family killed. I figured you'd think I was dead with them and then I wouldn't have to live with you._"

"_You killed your family so that you wouldn't have to marry me?_"

"_Yes._"

"_I see._"

"_Now I'm going to have to disappear again, because you're here and I hate you. Well, later._"

After she had killed Samuru, she had disappeared again. Itachi and the other members of the Akatsuki had figured that Orochimaru had killed her and had named her dead.

Now, she was alive.

Kisame, Itachi's partner, thought this over. If he was right, Itachi would try to stay as far away from Tetsu as possible, even if it meant sacrificing their mission. Itachi was still very unsure of the other Takura, but Kisame was sure that he would kill her.

It was only a matter of time.


	37. Part ThirtySeven: Rage of Lord Kazekage

Note: Thanks for over 1,000 hits so far on this fic…out of all of my fics, this one has the most…which is weird, because I was told most people don't like fics with original characters…well, he's part Thirty-Seven, it's a little longer than the last part… Please review, please, please, please! Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it!

Part Thirty-Seven: Rage of Lord Kazekage

"Where is she?!"

The nurse held the clipboard in front of her face, terror in her wide eyes. "I-I don't know, sir! The ANBU are trying to find her!"

"What's all this noise?"

Gaara and the nurse turned to the Neji, who was standing in the doorframe that led into Yassa's room. It was the morning after Tara had disappeared, and Neji had come to sneak Yassa some bacon and eggs (which she wasn't allowed to have, according to the doctors).

Gaara lifted his hand and a hand of sand slammed the door on Neji, locking him in the room. He turned back to the nurse, his eyes narrowed. "I want to know everything the tapes caught!"

She was shaking, but nodded and ran off to fetch the videos.

Meanwhile, Neji was inside of Yassa's room, stunned from almost getting slammed in the face by the door.

"What's going on?" Yassa asked, pushing the covers back.

He turned to her. "I don't know. I think someone's gone missing."

"If Gaara's here, then it must be Tara," she said, standing and heading to the closet. She pulled her uniform off of its hanger, Neji turning away.

"I suppose."

"Are we locked in?" she asked after she had dressed. She pushed against the door, but it wouldn't move.

"I think so."

"Why?"

"He probably doesn't want you to go after her," replied Neji.

Yassa pressed her ear against the door to see if she could hear anything.

The nurse had returned and was talking to Gaara, "I'm sorry, Lord Kazekage, but that's all the tape showed—her getting out of bed and changing, and then she left!"

"Was there anyone else in the room?" Gaara demanded.

"Yes, but I don't know his name…ask the Hokage, I think—Lord Kazekage, please don't—!"

There was a loud crash and the building shook, and then silence.

Neji hurried over to the window, Yassa in his wake. Gaara had, in his rage, blown a hole in the doorway of the hospital instead of just opening it. He was storming down the streets, his sand following him closely.

He was headed to Tsunade's mansion.

"Come on," Neji said. "We have to follow him."

Yassa nodded. "Stand back."

"What are you gonna—?"

She drew her arm back, focused her chakra in her arm making it into a club, and slammed her fist into the glass. The window exploded, glass showering onto the ground below.

"Let's go!" she jumped out of the window, Neji on her heels.

Only a few seconds later, they passed the ramen stand, Arcin slurping away on a bowl of the delicious food.

"I think he went this way!"

"He was headed to the Hokage's mansion, I thought!"

"Then this way!"

"I know those voices!" Arcin shouted, jumping out from the stand. She watched as Neji and Yassa raced down the street. "Hey!" She started to run after them, but was stopped by the ramen man, "You need to pay your bill!"

She tossed a hand-full of bills onto the counter and grabbed the ramen bowl she had been eating. "That's for the bowl, too! Later!" She ran after the other two, catching up with them.

"What's going on?"

Yassa turned and watched as Arcin took a long slurp of her ramen, sucking noodles into her mouth. "Tara ran away last night, and now Gaara's on a rampage."

"Oh?" she asked. She pointed with her chopsticks, "If he's headed to the Hokage's mansion, this way's shorter."

The three of them turned and ran the way she had directed, reaching the mansion, watching as Gaara exploded into the building in front of them.

"Come on," Neji said, and they followed him, reaching Tsunade's office.

Gaara walked in without knocking and Tsunade looked up. "Lord Kazekage? Is everything—?"

"Takura Tara is missing," Gaara said, approaching her desk and slamming his hands down on it. "You said she would be secure in the hospital until we could transfer her home."

"What?" asked Tsunade. "She's gone?"

"She left last night, with a foreigner," Gaara replied, holding up the tape. "Why wasn't a shinobi watching her room? Why was she left unguarded?"

"We figured she would stay put," replied Tsunade, taking the tape from him. "Besides, she was free to leave whenever she could move. I don't understand why you're so upset, Lord Kazekage."

Gaara threw his hands into the air just as Neji, Yassa, and Arcin entered the room. "Because unlike me, she has no restraint! If Tara decides to kill someone, she won't hold back! Anyone she meets is in danger!"

Tsunade slowly stood up and looked out the giant window behind herself. "Alright. I suppose you want me to grant mission so that you can find her, then?"

Gaara shook his head. "Can you do that, even though she's a shinobi from the Hidden Rock Village?"

"I'm not sure," replied Tsunade. She looked over to the door, her eyes catching Neji's. "Hyuuga Neji, have her teammates left the village yet?"

"As far as I know, they headed home last week," he replied.

Tsunade nodded. "I see…I take it the three of you are here for the same reason?"

"She is our sister," replied Arcin.

Tsunade nodded. "Unfortunately, unless the Rock Village requests a mission, I can't give the mission to you."

Gaara slammed his hands on her desk. "_I'll_ request the mission! _I'll_ pay the fee! Just give me your best shinobi to work with, and we'll leave!"

"She's a Hidden Rock shinobi," replied Tsunade. "I can't do that, and as far as I know, neither can you, Lord Kazekage."

Yassa approached her. "Lord Hokage, please. This girl is our sister, and could be in danger."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The ten ANBU who were murdered last night might have been killed by the same woman who is responsible for the death of our parents, and ultimately might be trying to kill us," Yassa said. "Please, I beg you Lord Hokage, give us a mission to find her!"

"You're not a Konoha ninja," replied Tsunade. "And as I said before, I cannot give out such a mission unless we have been contracted!"

Arcin tore her headband from around her neck and tossed it aside. "If this is what it means to be a ninja, I don't want the job! You, as a Kage, are supposed to help those who come to you in need! Right now, we need you to give us a mission to find our sister!"

Tsunade sat down and rested her elbows on the desk and closed her eyes. "Please don't put me in such a position. You must understand that I can only work within my boundaries. If I were to give you a mission to find Takura Tara, then not only would I be sending ninja that are not from my village, but I would be chasing down a shinobi from another village without the consent of that village. There is nothing I can do!"

"Why not?!" screamed Arcin. "Give us this mission! Please, Lord Hokage! We just need—"

"If you are so intent on finding her," said Tsunade, "then you can go to the Hidden Rock Village and request that they ask you to take this mission. Otherwise, there is nothing I can do."

"Can you just do one thing?" Gaara asked. "The nurse said that on the tape someone was recorded with Tara. Can you tell me who it is?"

Tsunade examined the tape she had been holding. She nodded, approached a television and VCR, and put the tape in. It had been pre-fastforwarded to the right time.

"That's Yakushi Kabuto," said Tsunade thoughtfully. "He works with Orochimaru…I'm not sure why he was in her room…"

"Even knowing this, you won't give us the mission?" asked Gaara.

"I already told you, I can't," she replied, ejecting the tape. "You can go, as I said before, to the Hidden Rock Village and request they give you the mission."

Arcin frowned. She was thinking, moving through the options. Finally she nodded and retrieved her headband. She left the room, Yassa in her wake, Gaara behind her.

Just as Neji turned to leave, Tsunade said, "Hyuuga Neji, stop."

He froze.

"You are a Konoha shinobi," she said. "You may not accompany them on this…quest."

He turned to her and nodded. "I understand."

"You are to stay in the village," she added. "You may accompany them to the gates, but no further."

He nodded once more and left the room.


	38. Part ThirtyEight: Embark

Part Thirty-Eight: Embark

Knakurou tugged at the straps attached to his puppets on his back. "So we're really going to go and see if the Hidden Rock Village will give us this mission?"

Gaara nodded. "If she crosses paths with anyone, they'll die."

Arcin was looking at her headband. She looked up at Gaara. "I would like to temporary enlist as a shinobi from your village. Can I do that?"

Gaara shook his head. "No, but I can't stop you from following us."

She nodded and tightened her grip around her headband. "Let's go, then."

"Wait!"

The group of four turned to see Neji and Shikamaru hurrying over to them.

"Are you coming?" Yassa asked, surprised.

"No," replied Neji, shaking his head. "Lord Hokage won't allow it. But we wanted to wish you a good trip, and good luck."

Shikamaru nodded. "Come back when you have news. We'll be waiting to hear from you."

Arcin nodded. She turned, as if to walk away, but turned back and threw her arms around Shikamaru. "I'll miss you. You're a good friend."

Shikamaru nodded and smiled. "Keep us updated."

"I will," she replied, pulling away.

Yassa looked at Neji and smiled. She lifted her hand to him, to shake his. "We will see you soon, Neji."

He took her hand in his and instead of shaking it, he pulled her into his arms. "Promise me you'll come back."

"I-I promise," she replied softly. "We will come back, Neji."

He let her go and nodded. "Have a safe journey."

She turned and walked away with the other three ninja.


	39. Part ThirtyNine: Recollection for the Sa

Part Thirty-Nine: Recollection for the Sake of the Mission

"Hm? What's this?" Tetsu put her hand above her eyes and squinted, watching as her sisters left the village with Kankurou and Gaara. "Very interesting. I think they're going to go and try to find Tara…"

She stood up and looked at the two boys as they walked back into the village. They weren't going to go with the others, it seemed.

Tetsu jumped off of the tree and landed in front of the gate, looking out at the road. Already, the others were on the other side of the hill. She smiled, turned to the guards in their little shack, and waved.

"It was a fun trip. Well, later," she hurried off down the road and into the trees.

"Who was that?"

"I don't know."

"Did you see her come in?"

"No."

"Me, neither."

"We should warn Lord Hokage."

"She just left, and I don't think she's going to come back."

"You're right."

"Yeah."

"Either way, we'll let her know after our shift," he said. "That way, in case she comes back, we'll at least know her face."

The other nodded, and they returned to their mundane duty without much talk.

xxx

"So," Arcin said, her eyes shifting over to Gaara and Kankurou, "you guys are the famed Hidden Sand nin, eh?"

Kankurou just chuckled. "So is your sister."

Arcin looked at Yassa. "I forgot…you came here with the group from Sand…"

Yassa adjusted her pack and looked up at the sky. "Do you guys know where the Hidden Rock Village actually _is_?"

Gaara nodded. "It's only two days from Konoha; it shouldn't be hard to find."

"I have another question for yah," said Arcin suddenly. "Lord Hokage called you 'Lord Kazekage.' Are you really the Kazekage?"

He nodded.

"How can you be the Kazekage? You're so…young."

"My father, the last Kazekage, was murdered by Orochimaru last year," replied Gaara. "When this was discovered, the people of the Sand Village asked me to take his place. I agreed."

"Of course," Yassa began slowly, "it took a lot of time. You had to gain their trust first…I know that not everyone trusts you, even now, Lord Kazekage."

"Call me Gaara."

"If you wish," she replied.

After a few moments, Gaara stopped walking. "We're being followed."

"Who would want to follow us?" asked Arcin.

"Most likely the one who you said killed the ANBU last night," murmured Gaara. He started walking again and spoke very softly, "You seemed to know a lot about them, Yassa. Tell me."

Yassa glanced away, as if thinking. She wasn't sure how to say what it was she needed to say.

"She's our sister," Arcin said suddenly. She glanced from Yassa to Gaara. "She's the one who's responsible for the deaths of our parents, and why the three of us were split up as children."

"Where are you four from? The Hidden Rock Village?" Kankuoru asked.

"No," replied Arcin. "We're from the Hidden Shadow Village, on the edge of your Land of Winds."

"You're joking! I thought the Hidden Shadow Village was just a myth!" Kankurou said.

"That's what I thought," Gaara said. "But we have to assume it's true, since Tara told me something similar." He looked at Arcin. "Is there anything else?"

Arcin shrugged. "We were just kids. I don't really remember much about her…I have top admit, all this time I thought I was the only one who survived…but it's sort of interesting to see that all four of my siblings also survived."

"If she was so intent on killing your parents, why would she let you three live?" Gaara asked. "Uchiha Itachi killed his entire family, except Sasuke, but this one…you say she killed your parents?"

"Well, more like instigated their deaths," said Arcin. "I don't think _she_ actually killed them. She just convinced the villagers to kill them."

Gaara nodded. "Even so, why leave the three of you alive?"

"I don't know. Maybe when we escaped, she couldn't find us," said Arcin. "I mean, Yassa here was virtually invisible in your village, right? I know Tara flaunted her powers, but me? I only used them when I had to, or for missions designed especially for me. My Bloodline Limit was kept pretty hush-hush, too. So, maybe Tetsu just couldn't find us."

Gaara nodded again. "I see."

"Is she getting closer?" Kankurou asked softly, looking at Gaara.

He shook his head. "She's keeping her distance. I doubt that she wants a conflict. It's four against one if she tries anything."

"Even if there are four of us," said Arcin softly, "I don't think we could win. She's older than us by twelve years…she's twenty-six, now, and her Otiyaga is probably very strong."

Kankurou thought back to when Gaara had tried to crush Tara. He had failed. Miserably. If this girl that was following them had the same Bloodline Limit, and was older, then Arcin was probably right; even with the four of them against her, he wasn't sure they would be able to survive, let alone win.


	40. Part Forty: Earth Country

Part Forty: Earth Country

"Well, this is it," said Kankurou, looking around the desolate area they had come to. "The Land of Earth!"

Yassa looked around as well. "Not much here…"

"We should keep moving," said Gaara. "We only have a few hours of light left."

As they walked through the small town, Arcin looked from one shop to the next. "Shouldn't we stop and get something to eat?"

"They won't have anything here," Gaara said.

"But look at all of the shops! They have to have something!"

"Trust us," Kankurou said, "most of these places are bars, with alcohol and few of them have good food. The next town is the Hidden Rock Village, and they have better meals."

"We have to go another day without food?"

"Didn't you pack some?" Yassa asked her sister.

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Arcin said innocently. "It just seems to me that if we eat at an inn, then we have more food to keep for ourselves out in the wilderness, incase we get lost or something."

"Lost? Us?" Kankurou asked. He laughed. "That's a good one."

"I'm serious!" Arcin snapped. "In my Country, if you get lost, you could be out in the wilderness for weeks, sometimes even months!"

"You're from the Snow Country, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, here in Earth Country, chances of you getting lost are pretty minimal. You see, there're only a few roads, and all of them lead to towns, so unless you purposely stray from the roads, you won't get lost," he smirked. "Besides, we're Hidden Sand ninja. It takes more than straying from the road to get us lost."

Arcin pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, whatever."

As they left the town, Tetsu entered it. She looked around, her eyes falling on a saloon. She seemed to be torn between going inside and following her sisters.

She sighed and rubbed the back of her head. "What a conundrum…"

"Hey, pretty lady," said a big man from the porch of a saloon on the other side of the street. He was big, indeed; his stomach was so round that one could hardly see his knees as he sat, the chair bending dangerously under him, and his face drooped so low it was like he had three of them.

"You talking to me?"

"Yeah, I sure am," he replied, licking his fat lips and sucking on a piece of straw. "You wanna come inside and warm up by the fire with me?"

She looked at him like he was insane. "Um, no."

"Well, can't say I didn't offer hospitality to yah," he said, and then winked one of his beady black eyes. "Yer loss, honey."

She turned and walked down the street, following the group of Sand and Snow ninja.

Tetsu had suddenly lost her appetite.


	41. Part FortyOne: Hidden Rock Village

Part Forty-One: Hidden Rock Village (because I'm lame and I want them to get there already!)

"Are we there yet?" asked Arcin, dragging her feet.

Kankurou turned on her and snapped, "If you don't fucking shut up, I'm going to rip your fucking head off!"

She laughed. "God, I love annoying you."

"Shut up, both of you," Gaara said. "Let's keep moving."

They started to walk again and Yassa approached the Kazekage. "Is she still following us?"

Gaara glanced at her. "You can't sense her, can you?"

Yassa shook her head. "I'm not very good at sensing chakra. I can feel other people's emotions, you know, empathy, but chakra is another story."

"I have to admit, I'm shocked she's staying so far back, though she is following us," he said. "She hasn't even attempted to confront us."

"She's probably wondering what we're doing," replied Yassa. "I don't think she'll try to attack us until she knows for certain where we're headed and why we're going there."

"Besides, if we stay in heavily trafficked areas, we should be fine," added Arcin. "She won't kill us out in the open, I think."

Kankurou shurgged. "I guess…"

As they came over the hill before them, a village came into view.

"We're here," Gaara said.

"Fucking _finally_!" Arcin said. She tugged at her pack and then started running down the hill. "Race you there!"

"How the hell did she ever become a shinobi?" asked Kankurou as he and the others started down the hill.

Yassa shrugged.

When they reached the gates of the Hidden Rock Village, Arcin was already pacing back and forth, tapping her foot upon their approach.

"Let's go already! We have to get the mission!"

"Be patient," said Kankurou. "We have to make sure that we do this right, or else we might not get the mission at all."

Arcin pouted, but followed them into the village.

"Stop," said a shinobi, and he approached them. "Names?"

"Kazekage," said Gaara softly. "These shinobi and I have come to request a mission be given to us."

The shinobi narrowed his eyes. The Hidden Rock Village may not have been on such good terms with Konoha, but they couldn't refuse an approach by the Kazekage of the Sand Village.

"Welcome to the Hidden Rock Village, Lord Kazekage," he said slowly, and moved to the side.

Gaara and the others walked passed him, Arcin waving and smiling.

"Hey, hey! How about we go and get some ramen before we try to approach them about the mission?" she asked. "I'm really hungry."

Kankurou turned on her. "I swear, if you don't stop talking, I'm going to—"

"Well, look who it is, brother!"

"What are a bunch of misfits like you doing here?"

"I thought you'd failed the Chuunin Exams, like the rest of us!"

"Never thought we'd see you in our village!"

The troupe turned to see Yakara Oriki and Ariki. Ariki was leaning against Oriki, a piece of straw in his mouth. He grinned darkly. "What are you doing in our village?"

"We have business with your Kage," replied Arcin hotly. "And our business is none of your business!"

"Oh, how clever she is," said Oriki mockingly.

Ariki just shook his head. "What do you want here?"

"Tara left the hospital," said Gaara. "She disappeared, so we came to request a mission to find her."

The twins exchanged glances.

"Trust me," said Ariki, pulling himself off of his brother, "you don't want to worry about her."

"Why not?" asked Yassa.

"Because," said Oriki, his eyes shifting, "you guys aren't welcome here."

"We got into the village without problems," she replied. "I think we'll be fine."

The twin glanced around again, Oriki pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Trust me…if Tara left, it was for a good reason."

Gaara glanced at them. "What can you tell me about her?"

Oriki shook his head and he and Ariki backed into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

"That was helpful," snorted Kankurou.

Yassa narrowed her eyes and followed the others down the nearly empty boulevard, towards the Kage's mansion.

The twins shrank in and out of the shadows, following the Kazekage and his group. If Tara really _had_ disappeared, why did these guys care so much?


	42. Part FortyTwo: Lord Tsuchikage

Part Forty-Two: Lord Tsuchikage (1)

"Lord Tsuchikage, there is a group of shinobi here to see you," said a man softly.

The Tsuchikage turned around, her eyes narrowing. "Who are they?"

"One of them is Lord Kazekage," he replied. "I'm not sure about the others."

Her eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"He can manipulate sand," replied her assistant, "and I thought that was proof enough."

"Indded…well, let them in," she replied, taking a seat, moving her brown robes around her feet.

He bowed and opened the door.

Gaara entered the room, bowing when he reached the desk. The others stayed behind him, though they followed his example and bowed to the Kage of the Rock Village.

"What can I do for you, Lord Kazekage?" she asked. She had heard, of course, of the elder Kazekage's unfortunate death and his succession by Gaara.

"As I'm sure you are aware," he said, "three of your ninja participated in this years Chuunin Exams in Konoha."

She nodded slowly. "Yes, Yakara Oriki and Ariki, and Takura Tara. Go on."

"Takura Tara was being kept in the Konoha Hospital for observation after the exams had been completed. She suffered heavy damage, but was able to walk within the first week."

"Indeed," replied the Tsuchikage. "Her unique trait gives her the ability to heal quickly. Is this what you came to discuss with me?"

"No," he replied. "I have come to request you hire myself and my companions for a mission."

The Tsuchikage's eyes widened. "Mission?"

"Yes," he replied. "Takura Tara left the hospital of her own volition. She has been gone nearly three days, and as I'm sure you know, could have killed many people by now."

Quietly, Lord Tsuchikage turned and looked out of her window and at her village. "Why does this concern you?"

"She is the sister of one of our ninja, Takura Yassa," he said, motioning to Yassa. "Also, she is the sister of a Snow Country ninja, Takura Arcin. Both of them are worried for her safety."

"Again, I ask you," she said, looking at him, her dark eyes flashing, "why does this concern _you_?"

Gaara looked taken aback by the question, but replied, "She is a friend, and I wish to help her."

"Becoming so emotionally attached to someone from another village isn't a good idea, Lord Kazekage," she replied. "But if Tara has, indeed, gone missing, then I have no choice…"

Arcin's eyes lit up. Finally, they were going to get to find Tara!

"…Yamato! Go and find Tara's teammates—I'm sure they aren't far, since this matter is about her," said Lord Tsuchikage. She turned to the four shinobi in front of her. "We will take care of this matter. Thank you for reporting it, Lord Kazekage."

"Wait, what?" Arcin asked. "We came asking for a mission, and you're not going to grant it to us?!"

"Arcin, be quiet," warned Kankurou.

"No way!" she shouted. "Why won't you give us the mission?!"

"Why should I pay another village to do something our own shinobi can take care of?" Lord Tsuchikage asked softly, clasping her hands in front of her chin. "Not only is it cheaper, but more efficient. Takura Tara is very unique, and as the Tsuchikage, I have no idea what it is you may really want with her. I can't guarantee that you two are really who you say you are."

"That's bullshit!" shouted Arcin. "Throw a kunai at me, and I'll prove it! Just give us the mission!"

"Arcin," said Yassa softly, "there's nothing we can do. Let's go."

The door into the room opened and the assistant, Yamato, walked back in, the twins behind him.

"It seems they were attempting to eavesdrop," he said.

Ariki stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Not _attempting._"

"We already _know_ what you want us to do," said Oriki. "We heard."

"Then go and find another ninja to join you on your mission," Lord Tsuchikage said, "and get started."

"No offense," said Oriki.

"But we don't want this mission," continued Ariki.

"Send them on it."

"What?" she asked.

"If Tara disappeared, we don't care where she went," said Ariki. "We can make due without her."

"She was holding us back, anyways," said Oriki, looping his hands behind his head.

The Tsuchikage touched her forehead and said, "I have assigned this mission to you, and you _will_ do it. Now find your third ninja and _go_!"

Ariki and Oriki exchanged glances and one said finally, "Fine."

"But we want these four to go with us."

"I meant a shinobi from our _own _village!" she snapped. "Go and get someone from our own village!"

"No," replied Ariki. "We want these four to go with us."

"If they don't go with us, then we won't take the mission."

"We don't want any payment," Gaara said. "We will take this mission for free."

She turned and glowered up at him. "Lord Kazekage, I don't give a damn if you'll go for free or not. This is a Hidden Rock mission, not a Sand mission. One of ours has disappeared, and I want only our shinobi to track her down."

"Even if you don't assign us this mission, we will attempt to find her on our own," he replied.

She turned to the twins and said, "If you two let her get away, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your natural lives in the academy."

They nodded and left the room.

"Thank you, Lord Tsuchikage," Gaara said, bowing.

Arcin and the others bowed, leaving the room as well.

"What a day," muttered the Tsuchikage. "Those damned twins…if they weren't my sons…what I'd do to them…"

Yamato just smiled. He felt in his heart that the Tsuchikage had made the right choice.

(1) Originally I had called the Kage of the Rock Village the Hishikage, because I couldn't find anything on their actual Kage…but then, I found it. Haha…Lord Tsuchikage at your service P


	43. Part FortyThree: Ramen, Ramen, RAMEN!

Part Forty-Three: Ramen, Ramen, RAMEN! (this is my filler episode…very animeish)

"Okay, we _have_ to get something to eat," Arcin said, holding her stomach.

"We do have to restock before we go," said Yassa. "Maybe getting some ramen isn't such a bad idea."

"Yes!"

Kankurou glanced over at Gaara. "What d'you think, Gaara?"

He glanced at the sky. It was getting dark, the sun setting over the plateaus in the distance. "We should stay the night, as it is."

Ariki and Oriki just chuckled. "Well, whatever."

"We'll meet you at the village gates at five tomorrow…"

"…since we have to go on this crappy mission…"

"Such crap…"

"Why us?"

"I don't know, brother…"

"Hey, why don't you guys get some ramen with us?" asked Arcin. "C'mon, it won't bite!"

They glanced at once another.

"Don't be such party-poopers!" she said. "Come on! I'll buy for you, even! Eat as much as you want!"

"Are you serious?" Oriki asked.

She nodded. "Hell yeah! I mean, as long as it's _good_ ramen…I won't pay for the crappy stuff."

Oriki turned to his twin. "Can we?"

"Let's can," replied Ariki with a laugh.

"Thanks, Miss Loudmouth!"

Arcin glowered at them. "Call me that again, and I won't buy you ramen…"

"Follow us!" said Ariki, and he and his brother launched into the air, hungry like wolves.

Arcin followed them, the Sand ninja behind her.

"I can't believe she's a ninja," muttered Kankurou.

"_I_ think you like her," Yassa chuckled.

Kankurou glowered at her. "Yeah right."

"Whatever you say," she replied, a glint in her eyes. "But emotions don't lie."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm a bit empathetic," she replied. "I can sense your emotions, and right now, you're lying to me." She chuckled again. "You like her."

Kankurou's face turned red. "I don't! I think she's annoying as hell!"

Yassa just grinned.

The group landed outside of a ramen stand, Arcin and the twins already ordering their meals.

Gaara slipped into the shop, Yassa and Kankurou behind him. They took their seats and ordered their own ramen.

"Bet I can out-eat both of you!" Arcin said with a grin as she eyed the cooking pots in the back.

"No way!" replied Oriki.

"No one can out-eat _us_," Ariki said. "In fact, I almost feel sorry for you, offering to buy us ramen…"

She just grinned. "We'll see!"

When their lunches had been served, they broke their chopsticks apart, shouting, "IKIDAKIMASU!" and began to eat.

After she had finished her first bowl, Arcin frowned. She touched her stomach and asked the ramen man, "Hey, old man, what kind of ramen is this?"

"It's our special ramen," he replied with a wink. "Our shinobi often go on long missions, and they want something filling before they go…you look underfed, so we gave it to you."

"But…I'm…_full_," she said, her eyes wide. "I'm _never_ full."

"Like I said, it's a special recipe," he replied with a wink.

The twins laughed and Ariki said, "You've never had ramen like his!"

"Right-oh! It fills you up quick—that's how we know we can eat more than you!" Oriki chuckled.

"No way!" Arcin snapped. "I can eat at _least_ fifteen bowls!"

"Prove it!"

"Old man, I want another bowl!" she commanded. "Make it extra hot!"

The ramen man just nodded and began to stir the pots.

"Are you insane?" asked Oriki.

"Extra hot?" Ariki asked.

"If you can eat that…"

"…then we'll forfeit," his twin finished.

Arcin grinned. "At home, they make ramen so hot your tongue will burn for three days straight!"

The twins exchanged glances, and it was obvious that they didn't believe her, but either way they weren't going to let her win without a fight.

"Old man!"

"Two more!"

"Alright," he replied, and he dished them out.

"Ladies first," Ariki said, looking down at his red-colored ramen.

Arcin, however, had already started eating hers. "Oh my God, this is amazing! Mmm…so delicious!"

Ariki and Oriki stared at her, their eyes wide.

"Is she…really eating it?"

"Not even breaking a sweat!"

"What amazing skills!"

"What wonderful talent!"

"I can't believe it!"

Arcin set her bowl down and wiped her forehead. She turned to the twins and asked, "Well? Are you gonna eat yours, or can I have it?"

"She wants more, brother…"

"I think she just won…"

They looked down at their ramen, which was now bubbling, annoyed that it hadn't been eaten.

"Well?"

The sighed and pushed their bowls towards her.

Yassa, however, reached down just in time to take a bite from her own meal, when one of the bowls ended up in front of her.

"Yassa, no!" gasped Arcin, watching as her sister ate the bite of noodles and peppers.

Yassa's face became red and she started to sweat violently. She had never tasted anything so hot in her life!

"Old man, water! Get her water!" said Arcin, trying to cool Yassa off.

He nodded and put forth a glass of ice-cold water.

Yassa, whose chopsticks had crumbled into ash by now, was merely sitting, her eyes dilated.

Arcin forced her to drink the water, and her face finally returned to normal.

She deflated and passed out.


	44. Part FortyFour: Night in Rock

Part Forty-Four: Night in Rock

"Was the ramen really that hot?" Arcin asked as she sat down on the bed in her and Yassa's room.

Yassa was lying on her own bed, her eyes focused on the ceiling. "I thought so, but I'm not used to hot food like you are."

"It was good, though, right? You liked it?"

She shrugged.

Arcin sighed and looked out the window. "Yassa…I've been meaning to ask you…is there something going on between you and Neji?"

Yassa sat up and looked over at Arcin, blushing. "No, of course not. We're just friends."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yes, and besides, even if we were more than friends, it just wouldn't work out."

"Why not?"

"B-because it just wouldn't," she replied. "His family is very traditional, and our family is…well…our triplet is missing and our older sister, whom we thought was dead, killed our parents, and is now stalking us. We aren't exactly…that kind of material."

"You _like_ him," Arcin taunted with a huge grin. "I can't believe it! You like Hyuuga Neji! Ooh la-la!"

Yassa glowered at her, "What about Mr. Nara, hm? I think you like _him_."

"You mean Shikamaru, right?" asked Arcin. "Well, to be honest, I hardly know him—we've spoken a few times and played Shogi once. I hardly think that counts as liking someone!"

"Yeah, well, Mr. Hyuuga and I—"

"Were constantly attached at the hip!" Arcin replied. "Come on, Yassa, admit it already! You think he's cute! Just go for it!"

Yassa stood up. "I think we should get ready for bed."

"Yassa?"

She turned to Arcin.

"I know that you would've liked to have stayed in Konoha…and maybe we can go back…I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," replied Yassa. "Besides, as long as Tara keeps running, we will always have to chase her."

"Is that why you think you and Neji wouldn't work out?"

"I don't think anyone and I would work out," she replied. "Now come on, it's getting late and we have to start the mission tomorrow."

Arcin nodded.

They changed and turned the lights out.

Gaara sat on the roof of the hotel. He looked around the village, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. He doubted that Tetsu would come near them in such a largely populated place, but even so he, couldn't be completely sure.

Kankurou had already gone to bed, and the lights in Yassa and Arcin's room had gone out a few moments ago.

Gaara leaned his head into his hands, thinking, wondering why he was so obsessed with finding Tara.

Normally he didn't care.

But then again, everything that had happened was far from normal.

He shivered, his head lifting, his eyes shifting. He could feel someone else's presence.

He turned, but there was no one behind him.

The sand in his gourd came out, shifting around him protectively. This mission, he realized, was one that had the twins gone on alone, they would not have returned from.


	45. Part FortyFive: Assignment: Find Takura

Part Forty-Five: Assignment: Find Takura Tara! Complications Arise!

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Arcin said as she jogged in place at the gate into the Hidden Rock Village. "Come on!"

"We have to wait for the twins," said Yassa. "They aren't here yet."

"For all we know, they could have bailed on us," growled Knakurou. He wasn't exactly a morning person, especially at five in the morning. "After all, they never did want to go with us…"

"Nah, we just never wanted to go," said Ariki from behind them on the other side of the gate. He was leaning on Oriki. "What're you guys waiting for? A bus?"

"Yeah, let's go," said Oriki, and they turned and walked down the road.

Arcin glanced at Yassa, and the two of them followed the twins, Gaara and Kankurou in their wake.

Gaara paused and slowly turned to look back into the village. He shivered, still unable to get rid of the feeling that someone was following him. Not _them_, but _him_. He wasn't sure why, but it felt like the chakra was concentrated only in his direction.

"Come on, Gaara!" Kankurou said, tugging at the straps of his puppets.

Gaara turned and headed down the road, towards the rising sun.

"So, where do you think she went?" asked Oriki casually as they walked along.

Arcin paused. "Hey, he's right. How the hell're we gonna find her if we don't know what direction she went?"

"We can follow her chakra trail," replied Gaara calmly. His eyes shifted to the twins. "You two trained with her—is there anything she would have left for you to follow her?"

"Tara's a professional ninja," said Ariki. "Not an idiot. If she doesn't want us to find her, then chances are we'll probably never be able to."

"She's a killer," said Kankurou. "All we have to do is find some patterns in recent deaths, and then we have her."

"No way," said Oriki. "She's too smart for that. Remember, she let that girl's family think that she was still alive for almost a month before she let the Rock Clone fall apart on them."

"I forgot about that," said Arcin softly. She glanced at Yassa, who nodded. "Neji said that his family hadn't been able to distinguish between the Rock Clone and the real Hyuuga Hinata."

"Right, which means that if Tara _did_ kill anyone, then she probably did it smart enough that no one will notice right away," said Ariki.

"Well, sorry to say this, but we don't _have_ enough time to let her clones just fall apart on us," said Arcin sarcastically.

"We do know one thing," Yassa said slowly. "When Gaara had Lord Hokage look at the hospital tape, we saw that that Kabuto man was in the room with her just before she left. Since Lord Hokage said that he was a follower of this…Orochimaru's, we can assume that she went with him."

"Unfortuantely, none of us knows where he's at," muttered Kankurou. "If we did, the Uchiha would be back in Konoha."

"So, basically we were sent on an impossible mission with no results?" asked Oriki.

"We are so fucked," Ariki commented.

"This sucks."

"This is bullshit."

"No shit."

"Lots of shit."

"Damn."

The other four shinobi had pretty much become accustomed to the twins ranting amongst themselves, so they chanced to ignore this little outburst.

However, they were right.

None of them knew where Tara had gone or where Orochimaru was.

"So, Gaara, what now?" asked Kankurou.

The Kazekage shook his head. "For now we go to the villages around Konoha. One of them has to have seen Tara and this Kabuto guy at some point. At that time, we'll know which direction they are headed, and we can go from there."

"This is turning out to be a lot more complicated than I thought it would be," his companion replied.

Gaara just nodded.


	46. Part FortySix: To whom do I Owe

AN: Sorry for such a long break between chapters…I just have not been motivated to work on anything…I hope you enjoy it!

Part Forty-Six: To whom do I Owe the Pleasure?

"Who's this?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowed as a girl walked into the dark room behind Kabuto.

"I'm amazed you got here so fast," mused Orochimaru.

Tara put her hands on her hips and looked around, summoning the Byakugan to see through the shadows. "Very interesting. Love the decorating," she said sarcastically. She turned to the man seated on the chair. "I take it you're Orochimaru?"

He nodded. "I am."

"I was told that you could kill me," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now, I find that interesting, since not even Gaara of the Desert can kill me."

He smirked and replied, "I am not like Gaara, as I'm sure you're well aware of."

"Considering the fact that I've never even heard of you," she muttered. "Tell me, how do you plan on killing me?"

"All in good time, my dear," he replied.

"No," she snapped. "If you tell me, then I'll know whether or not you're worth my time."

He chuckled. "You remind me so very much of your sister. Tell me, how is she doing?"

"I have no family," replied Tara. "Now either tell me, or I'll leave."

"Is that the only thing you want? You don't want to kill anyone?"

"I've killed more than my share of people," she replied, "if only for their traits." Her eyes shifted to Sasuke. "You must be the Uchiha."

He frowned, his eyes narrowing.

She chuckled and licked her lips. "We should fight sometime…"

Orochimaru seemed to find this an interesting proposal. "What do you think, Sasuke? Do you want to fight her? Perhaps you could kill her."

Sasuke didn't look too convinced. "She doesn't look that strong."

"All the more reason for us to fight," she taunted. "Or are you too scared, little Uchiha?"

"Then go ahead," said Orochimaru. "Sasuke is very strong, and so I have no doubt that you'll die in your attempt to win."

"Who says I'm gonna try and win?" she asked.

"Before I let you off so easily," Orochimaru said softly, "I would like you to present your skill-level to me by carrying out a few…missions for me. Should you complete them successfully, then I will let you and my Sasuke fight."

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "I expected as much. Fine—what do you want me to do first?"

"Kabuto has a list of people who have become very troublesome," he said. "I would like you to exterminate all of these troublesome individuals."

Kabuto handed her the scroll with the names on it. She opened it, examining the list of nearly a fifty names.

"When do you want them dead by?"

"I'll give you two weeks," he replied.

"I'll have them exterminated in one," she replied, and left, tucking the scroll into her belt.

"Master Orochimaru," Kabuto began slowly, "are you going to put the curse-mark on her?"

"First we'll see if she can do what I've asked her to," he replied with a snigger. "I don't want to waste my time on someone who is unsuccessful."

Kabuto nodded. "I understand."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. This girl had used the Byakugan upon entering the room. She wasn't a Hyuuga, so how had the gained it? He clenched his hands into fists. This girl might turn out to be a worthy opponent after all.


	47. Part FortySeven: Deidara and Sasori

Part Forty-Seven: Deidara and Sasori (1)

"How interesting that I was assigned to Shukaku, yeah," muttered the blonde man, watching as the group of six walked on the path below them. "Especially since his host is moving about so freely…who did he leave in charge of his village, again?"

The other just shrugged. He was unconcerned with his partner's assignment. More-or-less the fact that his baby brother was with the group was what held his intrest.

These two, were of course, Deidara and Sasori of the Akastuki group. Where Itachi and his partner, Kisame, had been assigned to first take out the nine-tailed demon, the Kyuubi, Deidara and Sasori had been told to first take out the one-tailed demon, Shukaku.

This was why they had been tailing Gaara for almost four months.

The fact that they had yet to attack was mainly based on the movements of the new Kazekage. They had been waiting for Gaara to return to the Hidden Sand Village to spring their attack, but he had yet to do so.

"Aren't you from the Hidden Rock Village?" asked Sasori softly.

"Isn't that your little brother?" Deidara snapped back.

Even if Deidara did admire Sasori for his use of puppets as an art, he still was touchy when it came to the subject of his old village. He didn't like to talk about it.

"It is interesting that Kankurou is with them," murmured Sasori. "But it doesn't matter. We will succeed in the mission."

"Who are the girls?" asked Deidara. "I recognize the twins—the Yakara's, Ariki and Oriki, with their interesting eyes…but the girls are foreign to me, yeah."

Sasori shook his head. "I don't know…but do remember, we aren't the only one's following them."

"I know, Master Sasori," replied his partner. "I must admit, I don't recognize this chakra."

"I do," replied Sasori. "Though, it is hard for me to believe that she's still alive after all of these years."

"Who is she?"

"Takura Tetsu," he replied.

Deidara, who was relatively new to the Akatsuki by a few years and had never met Tetsu, was mildly baffled by the name. Of course, he had never heard of the Takura's. "Who is she, Master Sasori?"

"A person of littler interest to our mission," he replied. "Come, if we keep falling behind, we will lose our quarry."

"Yeah."

The two of them bounded along the rocks and stones outside of the village, moving swiftly and silently as they followed the group of six.

Tetsu chuckled to herself as she watched the two Akatsuki members follow the younger ninja. She hadn't felt them before and was wondering why they hadn't been in Konoha if they were following Gaara.

The matter was of little importance to her.

However, she did, without trouble, follow them as they followed the others. If Sasori really remembered her, then he wouldn't confront her. Of course, she didn't know about the other boy. She had never seen him before, and presumed that he had joined the Akatsuki within the past few years.

Things were becoming very interesting—Tara had been taken by Orochimaru's henchman, the Akatsuki was within the walls of Konoha in the form of Uchiha Itachi and Kisame, and now the rescue-group for Tara was being followed not only by herself, but by the Akatsuki as well.

(1) I know this is different from what happens in the manga…I had to change it around a little, because…well, it wouldn't fit with my fic. So, I guess from now on, even though I tried to keep true to the story-line, my fic is officially AU…sad…oh, and, I don't really know these characters very well…tried to write them from what I do know. If you have any suggestions, PLEASE, feel free to let me know ) I will re-write their characters as best I can! ) Thanks!!


	48. Part FortyEight: A Meeting of the Most

Part Forty-Eight: A Meeting of the Most Intentional Kind

It was that night; the group had stopped to make camp and Gaara was sitting near the edge of the light from the fire, his eyes focused on the rocks around them. He knew Tetsu was still following them, but she had yet to emerge.

She had stopped and was making camp above them, or so he believed.

The twins had taken a strong liking to Arcin, and the three of them were enjoying a hot meal over the fire. Yassa was enjoying her meal silently, her eyes focused on the rocks as well. No doubt she was keeping a look-out for Tetsu also.

Kankurou approached Gaara and sat down beside him, handing him some of the hot food. "You should eat something, Gaara."

Gaara accepted the food, but the knot in his stomach told him it was pointless to eat. He watched as a small bird landed on a rock nearby and began to preen its feathers.

"Everything will be alright," Kankurou said. "I know that you're worried, but trust me, we'll find her."

Gaara just nodded. "Kankurou…that bird…"

He glanced at it. "What of it?"

"I didn't see any birds when we were walking earlier today," replied Gaara very softly.

"Do you think Tetsu's going to attack us?" Kankurou asked, his voice also hardly audible.

"Unless she can control animals, I don't think it's her."

"Who do you think it is, then?"

Gaara shook his head. "I don't know."

"Can't she absorb other ninja's abilities?" he asked. "Maybe she absorbed someone else's jutsu and is able to control animals now."

"Maybe," he replied. "But I—"

_BOOM!_

Everyone jumped to their feet, Arcin, Yassa and the twins looking around wildly for the source of the explosion. They hurried over to Gaara and Kankurou after seeing the smoke.

"What happened?" asked Arcin, pulling a kunai from her pouch and lifting it defensively. "What was it? An exploding tag?"

"No," said Kankurou, trying to catch his breath. "It was a fucking bird!"

"A _bird_?!" asked Arcin. "It must've had an exploding tag on it, then!"

"No!" he snapped. "It just fucking exploded!"

"Which direction did it come from?" asked Yassa.

Gaara pointed up into the rocks. "Do you think it was Tetsu?"

"No way," replied Arcin. "Her style's more…direct."

Ariki and Oriki had both dropped their glasses from their faces, their eyes scanning the area.

"Hey, Yassa, you have the Byakugan, right?" Oriki asked.

"Yeah," she said, looking bewildered.

"Well, use it, moron!" snapped Ariki. "We can't see very far, and we need you to direct us!"

"Right," she replied with a nod. She held her hands in front of her face and commanded, "_Byakugan!_"

Her eyes scanned the area where the bird had come from. She frowned. "I don't see Tetsu anywhere."

"Is there anyone else there?" asked Kankurou.

She shook her head, turning her eyes elsewhere. "Wait…I see someone…"

"Where is she?"

"There're two of them," she replied, sounding confused. "I don't think that either one of them is Tetsu, either."

Ariki and Oriki exchanged glances. "Where are they?"

"Behind those rocks," she replied.

"Out of our range," muttered Oriki.

"Shit," said Ariki. He glanced at Gaara. "Why didn't you say that there were others following us?"

"I didn't know," he replied. "Unlike Tetsu, they must have learned how to control the flow of their chakra outside of their bodies, so I can't sense it."

"Shit."

"Ariki?"

"What?"

"Look, over there," Oriki pointed. "It's a koala…do we have them here?"

"No."

"Yassa, can you—?"

"It's not alive," she replied. "It looks like it's made out of something and has chakra flowing through it. My bet is the bird was the same, and the chakra probably causes it to explode."

Gaara's eyes narrowed and sand started to emerge from his gourd. It snaked along the ground and wrapped around the koala, which tried to run away, but failed.

Just as his sand wrapped around the animal, it exploded, sending sand and clay everywhere.

"There!" Yassa said, turning and watching the two ninja. "They're moving!"

"Got it!" shouted the twins, and they focused their chakra, chasing after the two shadows.

"We've got them!" said Oriki, and he pulled his chakra closer, revealing a being made of clay. The same was with Ariki's chakra hand.

The clay creatures exploded, sending the twins stumbling backwards.

"They were fakes!"

"Clones!"

"Shit!"

"No shit!"

"Where'd they go?!"

"There!" Yassa shouted, and this time she attacked; her bones separated and her muscles stretched, her skin adjusting and rearranging, her hands flying forward and grabbing the two. She yanked them from the shadows and tossed them into the rock wall, where they exploded.

"Fuck, Yassa, they were clones again!" shouted Arcin. She looked around, her eyes narrowed. "This is gonna suck, but I don't have much of a choice…" She grabbed a handful of kunai and shuriken and started to shove them into her body in random places, gritting her teeth from the pain.

xxx

Deidara and Sasori watched, their eyes wide, as one of the girls started stabbing herself with kunai and shuriken.

"She's giving up already?" asked Deidara. "How depressing…she won't get to see our lovely artwork, yeah."

Sasori narrowed his eyes.

"What do you think, Master Sasori?"

"I've seen this before," he murmured. He closed his eyes, thinking, remembering back to when Takura Tetsu had been part of the Akatsuki. She had done something similar when they had worked together briefly. Her normal partner, Samuru, had been on a different mission, attempting to catch the seven-tailed demon. He had, of course, failed, but that was beyond the point. The point was that this girl—both of them, in fact—had very similar abilities to Takura Tetsu. "They fight the same way as Takura Tetsu."

Deidara raised an eyebrow. "Well, even so, our primary target is Gaara, yeah. Remember that."

"Indeed," he replied, and he stood up. "Let's go."

xxx

Arcin stood up, grimacing as the weapons absorbed into her body. She looked around, sweat rolling down her face. "Where are they?"

Ariki and Oriki both glanced at one another. "Yassa, what were those clones made from?"

"Clay," she replied. "Why?"

"I thought those attacks looked familiar," muttered Ariki.

"What do you mean?" asked Kankurou.

"His name's Deidara," replied the twin. "He has the ability to eat animals, and then make clay-copies of them with chakra. He likes to make them explode."

Oriki shuddered. "He calls it art."

"If you ask me, it's nasty."

"Quite."

"You don't know anything about artwork!" Deidara screamed. "Nothing if you think my work is ugly, yeah!"

They all turned and saw the Akatsuki member screaming at them from behind a rock where he had been hiding.

Sasori stood up and glowered at his partner. "Good job, Deidara…so glad we could sneak up on them."

"Sasori?" Kankurou asked, his eyes wide. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"My partner and I are here to capture Shukaku," replied Sasori calmly. "If you value your life, I suggest you leave."

Ariki and Oriki grinned and lowered their hands.

"Got 'em," said Oriki softly. "Whenever you want to, brother…"

The twin nodded and lifted his hands. Suddenly the two Akatsuki were yanked out into the open.

The twins both nodded. "They're trapped."

"We'll keep a hold of them," said the other.

Gaara and Kankurou approached them. "What do you want with Shukaku?"

"That's not any of your business, yeah," replied Deidara hotly.

"How do you know him, Kankurou?" asked Arcin.

"Sasori's my older brother," muttered the young puppeteer. "He left when I was just a kid and joined the group Akatsuki."

Sasori smirked and twitched his hands. Quite suddenly in the bushes and emerging from behind rocks came a number of puppets that he had created. They all began to cackle and snigger, their eyes glittering.

Yassa and Arcin looked around, their eyes wide.

"We are so fucked," said Oriki.

"Sideways and backwards," replied his twin.

"If you give up now, I'll kill both of you!" snapped Arcin. She lifted her hands to face the puppets. "Come on, Yassa! Let's go!"

Yassa nodded and she pulled out her own kunai.

"I'd like to see what you can do with those," chuckled Deidara.

"Ariki, Oriki, crush them already!" shouted Kankurou.

"I thought he was your brother?" asked Oriki.

"Just do it!"

They nodded and molded their chakra, boxing in the two Akatsuki. It was beginning to seem that the battle had been won.


	49. Part FortyNine: The Uchiha and the Takur

Part Forty-Nine: The Uchiha and the Takura

Tara entered the room, tossing the scroll at Orochimaru's feet. "That was easy."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Only in four days? Very interesting. You must have been going constantly…"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "What else do you want me to do, or can I fight this Uchiha now?"

"I believe you've at least earned your right to fight him," Orochimaru said. "However, if you kill him, I'll make sure you live forever."

Tara's eyes narrowed. "So I can't kill him? Where's the fun in that?"

"To be honest," Sasuke said, emerging from the shadows, "I don't think you could kill me, even if you tried."

"Is that so?"

He smirked.

"Whatever," she replied. "You've never seen me fight, so you have no idea what I can do."

"The same with you," he said.

"There is one difference between you and I," she said, a grin on her face, "you can die from a mere flesh-wound. I cannot."

Orochimaru stood up and said, "Shall we? I'm very interested in seeing what you can do, Takura Tara."

She grinned and licked her lips. "Fucking finally…"

He took them from the smaller room into an underground arena. He motioned down to where the two of them could battle and sat down in a chair to watch.

Tara jumped into the rectangular arena and looked up at Sasuke. "Come on, you pussy."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and pulled his katana forth, landing in the arena across from her.

She didn't even wait for him to gain his footing before rushing forwards and lifting her hands before herself, "_Twirling Pine Jutsu!_" She launched herself into the air and spun around, kunai, shuriken and glass needles exploding form her skin.

Sasuke lifted his blade and swung it around, blocking the weapons before they could hit him. He turned to face her where she had landed. If she continued to attack like this, there was no way he could get enough time to use Chidori!

She was laughing and said, "I'm glad you can do that much, at least! Now I know this will be fun!" She ran at him again, this time lifting her hands to throw kunai at him.

He dodged them and pulled some kunai from his own pouch, throwing them at her. They hit their mark, landing solidly in her back as she ran past him.

Tara stumbled forwards, falling over.

Sasuke relaxed and smirked. This had hardly been worth him time.

He turned to leave, but stopped when he heard laughter. He turned around and saw Tara standing up, the kunai being sucked into her skin through her clothes. She turned and looked at him, her eyes manic.

"Thanks for the amo," she said smoothly. "Now let's get this party started…" She turned around and lifted her hands, this time with her palms facing outwards. She shot some of the kunai back at him, Sasuke jumping into the air to avoid them.

His eyes were wide. He had never before heard of anyone who could do something like that—it was sick. No wonder the girl wanted to die.

He landed and ran towards her, lifting his katana. If she wanted so badly to die, then he would behead her!

He swung it around, the blade whistling through the air.

Tara just stood, her eyes meeting his. She began to laugh, as if excited about the death at hand.

The blade hit her neck and began to slice through, however, half-way through her neck, the blade just stopped, blood dripping down the glittering edge.

She looked up at him, her eyes glowing.

The tissue and muscles in her neck began to repair themselves, wrapping around the blade.

Sasuke tugged at the blade, trying to remove it; however, it was lodged quite solidly.

She leaned her head back and the sword began to absorb into her body along her neck.

He was forced to let go, backing away as the hilt disappeared.

She looked back up at him, her neck crunching back into place.

The blood that had dripped from the sword and onto the ground began to shift around, forming two Blood Clones. They lifted and looked at Sasuke, their red eyes demonic.

He frowned, his eyes turning red as he called upon his Sharingan. It seemed he had severely underestimated this girl.

"Pretty eyes," she said softly. She licked her lips and said, "I have a pair, too." Her eyes closed and reopened, revealing their red and black depths.

Sasuke's eyes went wide. How the fuck did she have a pair of Sharingan? "What are you?"

"I'm the Takura," she replied. The blade of the sword began to emerge from her left hand, and he watched in horror as she lifted her arm, revealing that it was still partially inside of her. "And I am your worst nightmare."

She launched at him again, swinging the blade of the sword up to strike him.

Able to read her movements, Sasuke managed to dodge the blow. Since he had the Mangekyou Sharingan, he was able to read her movements far quicker than she was able to read his. He felt pleased, since it gave him the upper edge, not to mention the curse-mark that would come forth if he felt the need for it to.

She jumped into the air, swinging the blade of her sword at him. He landed, once more managing to dodge the attacks.

The curse-mark began to expand, black tattoos spreading over his pale flesh.

Tara landed and examined his skin, her eyes glittering. "Ooh, that's nice…I can't wait to have that." She grinned and raced at him again, his body launching out of the way.

His speed had increased nearly ten-fold. He adjusted his stance in mid-air and came back at her, punching her so hard that she flew into the wall on the other side of the arena.

He landed and watched as the wall crumbled around her, her body wedged in quite well.

The Blood Clones, which had been to the side all this time, came to life and sprung at him.

Sasuke whirled around and started to fight them, defending himself against the insane beasts.

When one was burst, it merely dropped to the ground and reformed. Unlike Shadow Clones, it was almost like these clones had minds of their own.

Sasuke frowned, wondering how the clones could still be moving when their creator was dead.

His eyes shifted across the room and to the girl. She was pulling herself from the wall, walking towards him once she was free, her bones replacing and rearranging themselves.

She was _fixing_ herself!

Sasuke dodged one of the punches from the Blood Clones and jumped away from them. They stopped charging him, Tara approaching them, her arm healing, the sword blade once again in sight.

She grinned. "Told you, you fucking moron—I can't die!"

The Uchiha smirked and focused his energy, the curse-mark expanding and consuming his entire body. He jumped from the first stage to the third stage, his body becoming darker and his hair lighter.

Hand-like wings exploded from his back and he lifted into the air. He looked down at Tara, a dark look in his eyes.

Now the girl stood no chance.

Tara looked him over. "How sexy…I'm going to enjoy having that power…"

Sasuke glided around her, drawing his chakra to his hand for his special attack. He glided upwards, gaining altitude, and then dove driving it into her face. "_CHIDORI!_" She blasted along the ground and into the wall again.

And once more, she stood up, her jaw rearranging itself, her face and skin molding back to normal. She examined her situation: Maybe this could work—maybe this Sasuke could kill her. The thought was quite exhilarating.

"Kill me, Uchiha!" she shouted. "You know you want to, so do it!"

He glided down towards her once more, and she lifted her hands, "_Byakugan!_" one of her eyes shifted to the light-purple shade, veins erupting around their edges. "I might as well have some fun with you, huh? Well let's go!"

Sasuke pulled out some shuriken and kunai and started to throw them at her, aiming to hit her clothes and pin her down, not her skin.

She jumped into the attack, catching the kunai and shuriken with her body, absorbing them and returning them to him.

Sasuke cried out as the sharp objects injected into his flesh, his arms and stomach being cut up by them.

He landed and she raced at him, snapping out, "_Sixty-Four Points of Divinity!_"

Her fingers contacted with his shoulders, "_Two! Four! Eight!_"

She adjusted her stance and whirled around, striking him all over his body, "_Sixteen! Thirty-two! Sixty-Four!_"

He blasted backwards into the wall, and she stopped, standing up, a grin on her face as she approached him. Even with the curse-mark, once his chakra points were all closed, he was unable to move or use his chakra.

She stood over him and, retracting the blade of the katana, she sent out a kunai. She looked over to Orochimaru on the other side of the arena. "As my prize, I get a pint of his blood. Agreeable?"

He smirked and replied, "I suppose."

She turned back to Sasuke and lifted him from the ground, holding him by his neck, watching as the curse-mark retreated.

She lifted the kunai and stuck it into his shoulder, just below the curse-mark. Blood gushed from the wound; Sasuke screamed.

Tara tore the kunai from his shoulder and tossed it aside. She pressed her hand against the wound, absorbing the blood into her skin, her eyes closing. The feeling was refreshing; almost orgasmic in its own sense.

When she was done, she dropped him and left the arena.

Orochimaru had, thus far, disappointed her in the fulfillment of his promise. Unless he could promise her the death she desired, she would either kill him or leave.


	50. Part Fifty: To Stay Alive

Part Fifty: To Stay Alive

The twins curled their hands into fists, the chakra boxes tightening around the two Akatsuki members.

The boxes exploded, the twins falling onto their backs.

"Replacement!"

"Fuck out lives!"

"Twice over!"

"Both ways!"

"Shut up!" snarled Kankurou. He looked around, his eyes wary. If Sasori and Deidara had really managed to escape, then the puppets around them were no longer for mere deceit.

He pulled Karasu from his back and muttered to himself. He glanced over at Gaara, who had sand rolling around him protectively. "Gaara, we have to get rid of those puppets."

He crossed his arms over his chest, but seemed to agree with his friend, as suddenly some of the puppets were devoured by sand.

"This fucking sucks," muttered Arcin, looking around herself. "Hey, artist, your work is shit! I can do better _blindfolded_!"

"Say that again and I'll show you some real art, yeah!" snapped back Deidara, and a squadron of birds dove from the black skies towards the others.

Gaara swung a shield of sand above them, the birds hitting it and exploding, pieces of them sticking in the sand as he withdrew it.

Arcin and Yassa launched themselves towards the puppets, Yassa swinging her arms, spreading her skin and muscles and shoving the puppets into one another.

They began to fight back.

Sasori grinned as he moved his fingers, "_Puppet Play_."

One of the puppets bit Arcin, and another one punched Yassa, sending her into the rock facing.

"We really have no interest in you," said Deidara. "We're after Shukaku, yeah."

"Gah! Stop with the fucking "Yeah" already!" shouted Ariki. "God, you're so fucking annoying!" He lifted his hands and his chakra shot towards the ex-Rock ninja.

Deidara jumped aside, throwing an eagle made of clay into Ariki's grasp. It exploded, sending the boy stumbling back into his twin.

"What should we do, Ariki?" asked his twin. "We're going to lose at this rate!"

"No fucking shit!"

Oriki looked over at Yassa and Arcin who had pushed themselves to their feet and were currently attempting to defeat the army of puppets. Yassa was using the Kaiten to shield herself, but it wasn't working—Sasori's chakra strings just kept getting in the way.

Gaara lifted his hands and the sand under the puppets began to move.

"Yassa, Arcin!" shouted Kankurou. "Move your asses!" At the same time, he pulled Karasu back, watching as the Earth devoured a good portion of Sasori's puppets.

Gaara then turned to the remaining ones and lifted his hand.

_BOOM!_

"That's art, yeah!"

"Gaara!" shouted Arcin.

Yassa ran over to him, but he had been hit from behind. The pieces of the birds that had been absorbed into his sand had blown up again.

She looked over at Deidara, but he was gone.

"Hold on, Gaara!" she said, gently turning him onto his back. She checked his pulse, her eyes wide.

"Yassa, we need your help!" shouted Ariki, backing away as more of the puppets surrounded them.

Yassa stood up and looked at Knakurou. "Keep an eye on him—don 't let anyone near him."

He nodded. "Yeah."

She looked at Arcin, "Stay with them!" And she ran over to the twins. "Make a wall of chakra and let's get out of here!"

"We can't hold it once they're out of sight!" shouted Oriki.

"You fucking bastards!" Ariki screamed, and he grabbed a number of the puppets with a giant box of chakra. He crushed them. "Take that!"

"Do it again!"

Both of them began to do it, but just as it seemed all of the puppets were gone, Arcin began to shout.

They turned and looked behind themselves.

She was attacking Deidara, who had managed to grab Gaara. He was on the back of a giant clay bird, and Deidara was laughing.

"LET HIM THE FUCK GO!"

Kankurou was attempting to hold down Sasori with both of his puppets, but the elder master merely laughed and pulled out more of his own, tearing apart Kankurou's.

"You always were weak, little brother," he mocked.

"Let's go," said Deidara from in the air. "We have what we want, yeah."

"Just a bit more," replied Sasori.

"Alright," replied his partner, and he commanded the bird to go away, Arcin running after it. "You take that one."

He followed Arcin.

"Arcin!" shouted Yassa.

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

"AHHH!"

She whirled around and watched as Ariki and Oriki were blown apart. While they hadn't been watching their backs, Deidara had sent clay frogs onto their bodies.

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

They collapsed to the ground, their bodies broken and burnt.

Yassa screamed, another explosion making her go deft.

xxx

Arcin ran after the bird, tripping over her own feet, her eyes locked onto the bird above. "_GAARA!_"

She thrust her arm into the air, trying to command it to stretch and bend like Yassa's had, however, unlike her sister, Arcin didn't have good control over her Otiyaga, no matter how many missions she had been on.

All she was able to do was send a shot of kunai and shuriken at the bird, which just continued to fly.

She felt something wrap around her legs and whirled around to see Sasori. He cocked his head to the side and said calmly, "I know I can't kill you—it's nearly impossible." He used one of his puppets to lift her into the air and looked her over. "Well, I can't let you have him, either way, or know where we're going. Good night, Takura."

He knocked her out, and dropped her onto the ground, leaving her alone in the darkness.

xxx

In the trees above, Tetsu raised her eyebrows. So, this was what they had been after…well, as far as she could see, Yassa had been knocked out by the explosion, if not dead, and Arcin…well, she supposed she would see to them in the morning.

xxx

When Yassa came to, she sat up slowly and looked around herself. Kankurou was sitting under a tree, curled up in a ball of black. The remains of his beloved puppets were strewn about the rocky field.

She looked around for Arcin and the others, but only found the bloody remains of the twins.

She threw up.

Kankurou looked over at her and slowly he stood up. He walked over and put his hand onto her back. "You okay?"

"They're dead," she coughed. "They're _dead_."

He nodded. "Yeah. Come on, let's go find Arcin and see if she got Gaara."

"You mean…?"

"After that last explosion, you were knocked out," he replied. The look in his eyes told her he didn't want to go into detail about what had happened after that. "Let's go."

They stood and hurried into the trees the way Arcin had gone, though their strides were weak and they ached everywhere.

It was amazing they had survived.

When they finally found her, they saw that she was beating the crap out of a tree. She was screaming and kicking, her hands raw, her boots scuffed beyond repair.

"_GODFUCKINGDAMNIT!_"

"Arcin!" Yassa gasped, and before the other girl could turn to her sister, Yassa threw her arms around her and held her tightly.

"Where's Gaara?"

"Where the fuck do you think?" Arcin screamed, shoving Yassa away from her. "They fucking took him, alright? I couldn't do anything to stop it, okay? So just fuck off!"

Kankurou narrowed his eyes.

"The twins are dead," said Yassa softly.

Arcin's eyes went wide, her entire body trembling, her composure changing. "Oh my…God…"

Yassa nodded. "We have to go after Gaara."

Kankurou nodded. "Which way was he headed?"

Arcin pointed. "There."

"Let's go."

They turned to leave, but froze.

Leaning against a tree, examining her nails, was none other than Tetsu.


	51. Part FiftyOne: Stalker

Part Fifty-One: Stalker

"I was wondering when you'd see me," she said, her brown eyes lifting to them. She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Well? Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Get out of our fucking way," snarled Arcin.

She looked appalled. "Do you know who I am, Miss Takura?"

"I don't give a flying-fuck-shit who you are," replied Arcin bitterly. "We have a mission to complete, so if you don't mind, just buzz off."

"We should take the twins' bodies back to their village," murmured Yassa. "We can't just leave them."

Kankurou nodded, and the three of them started towards where the twins had been left.

Tetsu sighed and moved into their path. "I hate to do this, but the two of you have to die."

"What?" asked Arcin. "Are you fucking _kidding_ me?"

"I assure you, I'm not," she replied. "If you would like, I will introduce myself. I'm Takura Tetsu. You are my sisters, yes?"

Yassa stumbled backwards. She hadn't recognized Tetsu, since she hadn't seen her since she had been four. "What the hell?"

"Is that any way for you to speak to me, young lady?"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Arcin, shooting kunai and shuriken at Tetsu. "SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DIE!"

Tetsu just shrugged and absorbed the weapons. She looked down at herself and chuckled, as if she found this all very amusing. Which she probably did.

"Kankurou, go after Gaara," said Yassa. "We'll follow you after we return the twins to their village."

Kankurou didn't argue; he nodded and jumped away into the trees, still not sure how he was going to beat the Akatsuki. He decided to return to the Hidden Sand Village and go from there. Maybe he could get some help.

"I thought the two of you might have died last night," said Tetsu in a good-natured tone. She grinned under the bandages around her mouth.

"Why don't you just leave us alone?" asked Arcin. "We've never done shit to you."

"Oh, but you see, that's not true," replied Tetsu. "You three were born. Now, I was going to wait until you found Tara, but I have a feeling I know where she is."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" snapped Arcin. "Look, you can go after her—we don't care right now. Our friend is in danger, and two of them are fucking _dead_."

"All because you wanted to save poor, little Tara," taunted Tetsu. "Has it ever occurred to you that she doesn't _want_ to be saved? Maybe she _wants_ to become evil, or whatever. As I know, Mr. Uchiha went to Mr. Orochimaru's side to get revenge and kill his older brother. Perhaps it's the same with Tara."

"Tara never even acknowledged that you were still alive," snarled Yassa.

"Ooh, feisty," said Tetsu with a smirk. "As far as I can tell, you're the strongest out of all three of you triplets. It's quite amazing how quickly you've adjusted to your life as a Takura."

Yassa looked at Tetsu with disgust. "If you're a Takura, then I sure as hell am not. C'mon, Arcin, we should get going."

The two of them again attempted to walk around Tetsu, but once more she stood in their way. "I already mentioned that you won't be leaving."

Yassa crossed her arms over her chest and replied, "We don't want to deal with you right now."

"Oh, but I want to deal with _you_," replied Tetsu. "You see, our trait is very…unique. To have three other children waltzing around with it, not knowing its full potential, is something that I cannot allow."

"Good for you," muttered Arcin.

"If you don't let us through—"

"You'll what?"

Arcin and Yassa exchanged glances and they lifted their hands, "_Replacement!_"

And just like that, in their places were two logs.

Tetsu raised an eyebrow and smirked. She launched into the trees, knowing where they were going, but by the time she reached where the twins had been, they were gone.


	52. Part FiftyTwo: Meeting in Sand

Part Fifty-Two: Meeting in Sand

_A month later…_

"Gaara's dead," muttered Kankurou as he motioned for them to sit down.

Yassa and Arcin collapsed into the chairs around the giant table. "Are you sure?" asked Arcin.

He nodded grimly. "They found his body…or, at least, we think it was his."

"What…do you mean?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know," he replied. He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, overcome with grief. Gaara and Temari had been his only real friends, and now they were both dead.

He looked back over at the two girls and then asked, "What're you going to do now?"

They exchanged glances.

"We're going after Tara."

"Still?"

Yassa nodded. "We can't give up just like that…and the fact that we've managed to elude Tetsu so far has been a good sign…"

"How'd you do it?"

"We faked our deaths," replied Arcin carefully. She looked around the room, adjusting her new robes carefully, tucking her shorter hair behind her ear. "It wasn't easy, but we managed."

"So now you're going to risk everything and keep going after Tara?" he asked.

"We don't have much of a choice," replied Yassa. "One of our sisters is in trouble and the other one was trying to kill us. We have to do what we have to do."

He nodded and stood up. "I understand. Thanks for meeting with me."

They also stood up, Yassa rubbing her throat, replacing the jutsu she'd been using again. They followed him to the door, where they put on their black goggles and wrapped their faces again. They shook his hand.

"Can I expect to see you guys again? You know, for an update?" Kankurou asked softly, looking at Arcin in particular.

She smiled, though he couldn't see it. "No, you can't."

He nodded. "I expected as much. If you guys need anything…the Sand Village will help you. Just contact us."

They nodded and turned, disappearing into the sandstorm outside of the small house.

Kankurou turned and looked back inside. Without Baki, Gaara, and Temari, there was nothing left for him to come home to. Even so…Karasu and Kuroari needed to be repaired. They had been lying on his workbench for nearly the entire month. It had taken him a lot of time to return to where the twins had died to get the parts back.

He closed the door, feeling sick.

He wasn't sure he'd ever see those girls again.

Note: And this concludes Here We Stand (the first season, doh!). My version of Shippuden should be airing sometime…eventually hahaha….I hope you liked it, though it didn't really wrap up much :(


	53. Part 53: Shippuden POSTED!

For those of you who are still reading this…and I thank you for your patience…Shippuden is finally posted! Though it is as a separate story. I felt Fifty-Three parts was a bit long!! Anyways, please feel free to read it and I would love to hear from those of you who are still reading it!!

Thanks for your time!

--KtG


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